Pretending to Forget You
by ysoviellepotter
Summary: After Izzy left, Harry is changed forever. He becomes the best workaholic Auror of England, but he is unhappy. After 4 years of running away from Izzy, Harry wakes up and realizes that he's been running towards the wrong direction all this time. WIP.
1. Her Name

**About this story:** This story is a sequel of _Pretending to be Harry's Girlfriend, _and starts 3 years after the said story (except for the prologue, which is only a year after). I highly suggest you read that one first as a lot of information in this story won't make sense if you haven't read that one yet. Another note about the final battle, I am mostly following the HPDH plot, but tweaking it a bit. But the part about the Horcruxes, Harry willing to die, the resurrection stone and the semi-ghosts who were with him, the Kings Cross scene with Dumbledore, Snape's allegiance and death, and him pretending to be dead are all the same. And… and … of course, in my version of things, Draco is Harry's friend and is for the light side.

**Disclaimer:** I am in no way the owner of the HP series. Everything in this story except Izzy, Marius and stuff about them, their Greek universe, is owned by JK Rowling.

**A/N:** I'm baaack!! Eastern Europe was great, though the trip was really tiring. It was worth it anyway! And now I'm back to my fanfic writing! I think I'm the most excited one here. I'm so excited about the tons of ideas that have crossed my mind during the period of time that I was gone! And now.. on with the show!

**Chapter 1: Her Name**

**(A Prologue)**

From afar, it seemed like Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was having a rather grand display of magic with all the jets of light and explosions that can be seen in its vicinity. Although you could definitely say that that was true up to some extent, being that the events within its walls really showcased its students' abilities and talents, it was not a show one would enjoy watching.

Hogwarts is currently in battle on that midnight in April, after being invaded by Voldemort and his Death Eaters. And although one-third of the castle was ruined, and had crumbled as dust to the ground, most students and teachers imitated the remaining two-thirds of the castle, still standing and ready to fight.

The Entrance Hall certainly looked busy. There were spells being sent in every direction, a huge chunk of the grand spiral staircase was missing, there were shrieks and screams heard, and occasionally, the thumping sound of a fallen warrior after being hit by a bright green jet of light. But in the middle of that devastated hall, was an intensely heated duel, a duel whose magical aura was certainly powerful, and alarming, that some people in the Hall turned to watch. It was a battle between two beings of the same blood, pure and noble, and of the name Black. Draco Malfoy was taking on Bellatrix Lestrange single-handedly in what would be one of the most memorable duels in the wizarding world's history. Aunt and nephew, both aiming and cursing to kill, were dueling with all their might to finish one another.

"You've gotten rather good, Malfoy. I'm impressed! You're making this duel a little more worthwhile!", Bellatrix said evilly as she narrowly avoided a killing curse Draco sent her way.

"No thanks to you, my dear Aunt!", Draco smirked the trademark Malfoy smirk. This made Bellatrix fume with so much anger.

"You are no nephew of mine! How dare you call me your Aunt! You are not worthy to be called a Black you filthy little boy!", her eyes flashed dangerously.

"That reminds me Aunt Bella, I really need to thank you for blasting me off the Black family tree—saved my life, that move!", Draco said in mock sweetness.

"What?! Don't play games with me boy or I'll personally make sure that you join the rest of our blood traitors, like dear cousin Sirius!", she said as she raised her wand.

"Avada Kedavra!", she shouted, but the jet missed Draco by an inch and made a large statue behind him explode, sending bits and pieces flying towards Bellatrix's direction. She ducked just in time to avoid the flying pieces of concrete.

"Your aim is remarkable, as ever! You do have that habit of destroying yourself by having your plans backfiring, don't you? Just like blasting me off the family tree", he smirked once more.

"What are you talking about?!", she asked loathingly.

"Still don't get it? How slow can you honestly get? Betrayal of ancestors? Doesn't that at least ring a bell?", he snarled. His words' effect was instant. Bellatrix screamed and shook with so much anger while Draco laughed like a maniac, sounding oddly much like his father.

"I was destined to die with the way I have betrayed my lunatic of a father's orders! I didn't have much time left when you gave me back my life, my dear Aunt. You removed me from that horrible tree, detaching me from the Black Family forever—and thus, technically I am no longer a pureblood. Although of course, those things are very trivial. But the law, the law! How wonderful indeed that pureblood laws are so specific, don't you agree! Removing me from the Black Family tree automatically removes me from the Malfoy Family tree, therefore releasing me from the bind I was in, from the obligations I had as a Malfoy, including the curse of Betrayal of Ancestors", he laughed like a maniac once more for he knew that irritated his Aunt.

Then he continued his little monologue. "You never fail to save me, do you? I must say I'm impressed with the way you keep your word to my parents, godmother", he said mockingly.

Bellatrix had already started narrowing her eyes, opening her mouth and raising her wand when Harry Potter, suddenly appeared out of nowhere. It seemed to his friends (who knew better) that he had removed his invisibility cloak. The whole hall gasped.

"_He's alive!"_

"_Harry's alive!"_

"_I knew it! He couldn't possibly die! He's the chosen one!"_

It was just a few minutes ago when Voldemort announced to all of them that Harry was dead, and Hagrid came in sobbing, with their hero in his arms. But now, Harry Potter appeared out of nowhere, alive, in the middle of the Entrance Hall, and certainly looking mad and dangerous. Anyone who crosses his way would most likely get cursed, or even killed. Well, at least, that's how he looked like to most of the students.

"You!", Bellatrix was surprised. Her voice came out merely as a whisper and yet everyone in the Great Hall heard her clearly because of the deafening silence that followed Harry's reappearance.

"Harry!", Draco said almost at the same time.

"Yes. Me. And You! I've been looking for you!", his eyes narrowed dangerously at Bellatrix—the woman who killed his godfather, Sirius Black, and the very same woman who took Izzy away from him forever. After that night when she kidnapped her, Izzy was never the same again. She forgot all of her memories about Harry, and have gone to back to Greece to claim her royal throne.

"My, my, my. Would you look at my luck! The Dark Lord will be very pleased once I hand you to him. And to think I need not put in any effort! You were after me all this time!", Bellatrix quickly regained her haughty air.

"You'll be handing no one to that bastard tonight, Lestrange. Tonight, it's time for you to pay your debts!", Harry said calmly.

"My debts?! Hah! Are you trying to make me laugh? A pureblood like me does not have any debts to pay! I have done the wizarding world a huge favor by getting rid of your dearly loved godfather who was a filthy blood traitor to begin with!", she said passionately.

"You sicken me! As if Sirius' death wasn't enough! You really find the need to mock him, don't you, you twisted woman! I'm going to make you pay! Not just for Sirius' death but for you taking _her_ away from me forever!", he said, his eyes flashing really dangerously now, that Bellatrix froze in her spot. She could feel the intensity of his power, the height of his magical ability pouring out from his body. His aura was like no other, not even the Dark Lord himself. And for Bellatrix, that was certainly saying something. No one was more powerful than the man she had loved and served for several decades now, no one!

"No! Y—you! This is impossible! No!", Bellatrix stuttered. Then some people gasped as someone suddenly appeared out of thin air, with a swish of a cloak.

"Bella! What is this?! What is impossible? Is that doubt that I see in you?", a voice behind her suddenly whispered. Her eyes widened with fear as she realized who the voice belonged to—Voldemort, her master.

"M—my Lord! There is no doubt in my mind!", she cried out, turning around and kissing his feet.

"No doubt? Such lies Bella, such lies. The Dark Lord always knows. But we shall deal with that later, shall we not? We do not have time for that now, not with the _chosen_ _one,_ or so they call him, standing right in front of us. It's rude to keep guests waiting, is it not?", Voldemort laughed cruelly.

"Ah. Yes. Such magical energy coming from this filthy half-blood boy, the one they say will conquer me. What nonsense when you can clearly see who is the more powerful between us. Such energy yes, but such emotion as well! Your thoughts are practically laid on the table for me to use, Potter! Surely, you knew that, didn't you? Or is the death of your parents, your godfather, and your favorite Headmaster not enough? Who are you going to use as a shield now, Potter? One of these students, perhaps?", Voldemort sneered.

"No one. Only one will die here today. And that will be you Tom Riddle!", Harry said bravely.

"You dare call me by that filthy, revolting name?!"

"Yes I dare. You don't know, Lestrange? This master of yours is no pureblood at all! Or does he pretend to be one? He's just what you would call a filthy half-blood like me! His father was a muggle, you see—Tom Riddle, senior.", Harry smirked at Voldemort and Bellatrix.

"Silence, Potter! You think you can just call the Dark Lord by that name? Think again, Potter! Think again, before I curse you and send you for a sweet loving family reunion with your parents and my adorable cousin!", Bellatrix shouted at him.

"Bella! Stop it! You won't be killing the boy tonight, Bella! He is mine! I will be the one to finish him! And I will show everyone who dares to follow him, what awaits them if they do not bow to Lord Voldemort!", Voldemort told her loudly for the entire Hall to hear.

"Hah! Like that would happen, Riddle! I will be killing you both tonight! You and your disgusting little whore of a follower. And I will make sure that Lestrange suffers just as much as she made _her_ suffer.", Harry said with pure anger.

"Who are—?", Bellatrix started, but Voldemort held up a hand.

"Your anger betrays you Potter! Surely you must have learned that from your Occlumency lessons—what? You think I never knew?! The Dark Lord always knows, Potter, always. When will you ever comprehend that, you stupid boy? I can see right through you! Bella, this boy is angered by what we have done with a certain girl he secretly adores.", Voldemort sneered.

And Bellatrix immediately understood. Harry was fuming mad at her because of what she did to the Isobelle de Lune. She smirked and proceeded to taunt the boy.

"Oh, how touching! The _chosen one_, the little baby boy Potter all grown up and in love! How disgusting!", Bellatrix said in her mock baby voice.

"Let's not keep the lovebirds apart, shall we?", Voldemort said and with the wave of his hand, Izzy appeared next to him, unable to move as if she were tied with invisible ropes. Her whole body was bruised but she was awake.

"IZZY!", Harry and Draco shouted at the same time and both boys started running to where she was. But then Voldemort held his hand up and they were both thrown backwards, away from the girl.

"Would you look at that?! I never knew that we have a love triangle here as well", Bellatrix said amusedly.

"What do you say, Potter? You surrender now along with everyone else in this room, or this de Lune girl will die! Take your pick Potter, you don't have much time.", he said.

Harry looked around him. He turned to Draco, but the boy had a worried and confused look on his face. Then he looked at Izzy. Her eyes were wide and she was shaking her head vigorously obviously trying to tell him not to surrender even if it cost her life. But Harry couldn't choose. He couldn't possibly choose between all these. He looked into Izzy's eyes and by impulse, without even choosing, hoping that he could get away with choosing Izzy's life and not surrendering at the same time, he ran to her.

But Voldemort was faster. Pointing his wand at the girl, he muttered, "Avada Kedavra", and Izzy de Lune breathed no more.

In a scream that was the most terrifying thing most people in the Hall have ever heard, Harry uttered her name with all his might, as if that was the only thing that could bring her back to life.

"IZZY!!", he shouted, his voice echoing throughout all the halls and corridors of Hogwarts, an eerie sound of pain and suffering, that was sure to be followed by fury.

True enough with darkened eyes, Harry turned around and faced the killer of the dearest people in his life—Voldemort, while clutching the Gryffindor sword in his hand.

"I warned you Riddle! There will be no mercy for you now! It's all down to this, to you and me. Don't think you can run away now, Riddle. There's only one of you left. I've destroyed all of your horcruxes.", Harry said as he waved his hand, making all of the destroyed horcruxes appear at Voldemort's feet—Riddle's diar, the Slytherin ring and locket, the Hufflepuff cup, the diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw, and Voldemort's pet snake Nagini.

At this sight, Voldemort's eyes widened and for a split second his face was filled with fear.

"What? You didn't know? I thought the Dark Lord always knows?!", Harry mocked him.

"Silence. So what if you have destroyed all of them? I am still here, am I not? It's all down to skill Potter, and we both know who has the advantage. Just wait and see.", he said coolly.

"Really?! Well I don't have time to wait!", Harry said angrily as he held up his sword to strike, but Bellatrix blocked his way.

With one lazy muttering of an ancient blood spell, Draco Malfoy cursed his own Aunt with a curse similar to what he had previously suffered from, easily condemning her to death without actually using the killing curse. Bellatrix fell back and started vomiting blood, making the way clear for the boy-who-lived.

Once again, he held his sword up, avoiding killing curses sent by Voldemort towards his direction with the use of his Quidditch reflexes. Once he was near enough, with a powerful slashing movement, pouring in his magical energy, he killed Voldemort.

Shouting "This is for you killing Izzy! MY IZZY!!", while the sword pierced what remained of the bastard's heart.

Silence.

And then the whole Hall cheered. They cheered for finally, finally the Dark Lord making the Wizarding World miserable was gone. But the cheering went as soon as it came. For when the teachers, schoolmates and friends of the boy-who-lived approached him, they were greeted by a saddening sight.

Harry Potter was still standing over the dead body of his enemy, kicking it to let his fury out, as tears rolled down his cheeks. He collapsed on the floor with exhaustion, with the lack of sleep and food this war has caused him. He crawled to where Izzy was lying dead, took her into a tight embrace as he whispered an apology in her ear.

Then he collapsed. And Harry Potter would never be the same again.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

"How is he?", Hermione asked.

Draco sighed and shook his head. "Still the same. We haven't seen any changes since the first time he woke up. It's been weeks, Hermione, weeks. And he's still like that", he said frustratedly.

Hermione looked at her bestfriend who was currently seated by the window at the far end of his room at St. Mungo's, looking blankly at the simulated view his window was showing him.

"Why don't you take a seat first, I'll ask the house elves to fetch you some tea", Draco said.

Hermione pursed her lips with the mention of house elves but thought it better to shut her mouth. Now is not the time for her to be arguing with Draco about the rights of house elves. Harry's condition is more important for now, and Hermione hoped that the news she was about to say would make her friend's condition better. And so when Draco came back into the room with tea, she started the conversation at once, without waiting for him to settle down on the couch.

"Have you read today's news?", she asked him.

"No. I've told you. We've stopped having the Daily Prophet delivered here. The news nowadays is doing Harry no good, no good at all. Every single thing in that wretched newspaper is about him and _her_! And you know how he gets affected by that!", Draco said.

"But it's important that you read today's paper, Draco", Hermione argued.

"No. no. And that's final. It's wrecking him, can't you see? I've thrown every single paper I could find within this building in the rubbish bins.", Draco said hotly.

Hermione took a glance at the nearest rubbish bin and sure enough, she saw a bundle of papers in it, with the headline: _The Hero Needs Saving._

"Draco, listen to me okay? They've investigated. And there's a great update on Izzy's murder", Hermione said.

Behind her, Harry suddenly stood up, looked around him with startled eyes and started muttering Izzy's name. One of the mediwitches hired by Draco came to assist him at once, giving him a potion that helped him calm down.

"Do you know that it takes him about an hour to be at the calm state that he was a while ago? And you just had to mention _her_ name and waste all our efforts, hadn't you?", he told his friend disappointedly.

"But this is really importanat Draco! It's not her! It was fake! It was a copy! Polyjuice! Don't you get it?", Hermione blurted out suddenly, as she was tired of the calm and cautious approach.

"What?!", he replied unbelievingly.

"You heard me", Hermione smiled at him.

"B—but w—who?"

"Oh, that. Well, it was a muggleborn first year. She's a Hufflepuff.", Hermione sighed.

"Well, too bad for her. But I can't help but feel relieved. You know, with this news, he might recover quicker than the healers are expecting. It might take him a week now, and not a month. That's what they're saying—that it will take him about a month to recover, you know", he said.

"Why don't we tell him now?", Hermione suggested.

"Yeah. I think that's a great idea. It will definitely cheer his day up", Draco smiled as he and Hermione approached Harry's bed. But he was fast asleep now.

"Oh, he fell asleep from the potion they gave him", Hermione pointed out.

"We could tell him later.", he replied.

And the two of them watched their friend sleep, and occasionally tossing and turning, as he dreamt of Izzy, muttered apologies, and whispered her name.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

A/N: You didn't really think I'd kill Izzy off, did you?


	2. The Man Who Conquered

Disclaimer: I do not own the HP Series. Only Izzy, Marius and their universe. I am writing this fic (and the one before it) for fun only, and I am in no way making whatever form of profit from these works. It's free! If you love Harry Potter and fanfiction, feel free to read my works!

**Chapter 2: The Man Who Conquered**

He blinked. It was morning, he was sure of it. What day was it again? Groan. He just remembered exactly what day it was, and shut his eyes so tightly as if to force himself to go back to sleep. He didn't want to go through this day all over again, not after what happened last year. He didn't want to be constantly reminded of the day he failed.

_Almost failed, _Hermione would sure to correct his thoughts if she could only hear them now. But for this young man aged 20, this young man named Harry James Potter, no matter what his friends say, he still believed that he did indeed fail that day. And there was too little to celebrate, almost nothing in fact.

_I'll just tell them I'm too busy with work. Yes, that ought to do it, _he thought as he forced himself to get up and take a shower.

Harry Potter lived alone. After he turned seventeen, he got out of his uncle's house for good, and the protective charm of Lily Potter's sacrifice finally broke. And after Harry had defeated Voldemort exactly three years ago, he stayed with the Weasleys for a while until he was able to buy himself his very own flat somewhere in London. No one really knew its location except his closest friends for obvious reasons. The boy-who-lived or, make that the man-who-conquered (that's what they call him these days and Harry thought it was silly), doesn't want crazy fan girls knocking at his door, does he?

His flat was neat and clean, a very unusual thing for Harry's state of things to be when he was still living in Privet Drive. But now, his Aunt Petunia might blush at the sight of his living space when she sees just how neatly arranged everything in it was. The key difference between the past and the present would be Kreacher. Being in good terms with his master Harry, he'd been eager to offer his services to him when he moved into his new home. And Kreacher's service was always excellent when his heart was really into it.

After taking a shower, Harry wrapped a towel around his waist and grabbed another towel to dry his hair. It looked the same way as always—messy and jet black in color. He continued drying his hair absentmindedly as he walked past the hallway, thinking of reasons he could give to avoid tonight's Harry Potter Tribute, a celebration of the third year anniversary of the final battle at Hogwarts. He was always, always dreading this time of the year when people recalled a heroic act he did, which he thinks doesn't really deserve praise. After all, he had failed to rescue Izzy. Of course he knew that it wasn't really Izzy that was murdered, but nevertheless, he felt that this piece of information was merely a bonus. If it so happened that Izzy was really the one murdered, he'd failed for everyone as well.

He ignored his awards on display inside a glass case by the hallway to his bedroom as he continued drying his hair, with only a towel wrapped around his waist. Harry hasn't touched that glass case for more than two years now. The last time he looked at it, and held each of its contents was when he placed his Order of Merlin First Class almost three years ago now. He has let Kreacher clean its contents—like the said award, and the Gryffindor sword, ever since.

When Harry got into his room he rummaged through his closet and put some clothes on—black denim jeans, a clean button up white shirt and a black jacket. But just when he was about to reach for his auror robes (he was now an auror in the Ministry of Magic under the new minister, Kingsley Shacklebolt), Harry found that he could not do it. He just couldn't go to work that day, not when he knew that any excuse he made to avoid tonight's event won't be heard. And so he collapsed on his bed, forcing his eyes shut once more.

Harry stayed like this until he heard the door to his flat open. The fact that someone was intruding this early in his home didn't bother him. He half-expected something like this to happen because his friends knew exactly how he felt about this day. And the fact that his door didn't activate the alarm in protest meant that the "intruder" was actually one of his friends.

"I knew it. I knew you'd have trouble getting to work today", the voice of Draco Malfoy from somewhere inside his bedroom said. Harry could just picture him in the doorway, looking at him with eyebrows raised and arms folded. He opened one eye to take a peek, and almost laughed when he saw that his friend looked exactly as he imagined him to be.

"Nice prediction, Trelawney. Only, I'm not impressed. You _know_ very well what day it is.", Harry replied.

"Mmm hmm. And that's why I stopped by to check on you."

"What am I, a little helpless son of yours?"

"No. But by the way you're acting you do seem like a pathetic little helpless boy"

Harry rolled his eyes.

"See? You're already dressed. Now why don't you get your auror robes and put them on? Just like me, eh?", Draco said while patting the badge on his chest, indicating his own set of auror robes which he had already put on. Draco too, is an auror like Harry. This turned out to be very convenient, as it was only Draco Malfoy who can be partnered with Harry Potter in his missions. The man-who-conquered became very serious, moody and critical after the war (and no one blamed him of course), that it never worked out with anyone who was partnered with him. It was only Draco whom he was comfortable enough with to work with as a partner.

Harry grabbed his auror robes reluctantly, wondering why the hell he was following Malfoy's orders now when he's the one who usually leads their partnership in auror missions.

Once he had put on his robes, Draco dragged him all the way to his bedroom door.

"Hey watch it! You don't have to drag me all the way out of here!", he protested.

"I don't? Don't you remember what happened last year? You're not getting away this time! What, are you saving all your irresponsibility for this day of the year? Just look at your wall for Merlin's sake Potter! You're killing yourself on this job! You deserve this day of recognition!", Draco said as he waved his hand over the wall he had been talking about.

Harry glanced at the wall and the glass case for the first time in months, or even in years. It was almost full. Top auror internship graduate, Auror board examination topnotcher, Best auror trainee of the year, Best senior auror awardee, Order of Merlin First Class, and several other recognition awards from different countries of the world. At the age of 20, Harry has accomplished most older wizards can only dream of.

He was a total workaholic, making sure that he finished his missions, his paperwork way before the deadline. He worked and went home, he hardly ever went out. The Ministry was very happy with the quality of his work, so much so that he is rumored to promoted soon to Auror Department Head. But his friends worry about him. He started being the total workaholic that he is after the final battle—after he got better from his 2 weeks worth of depression. They all think that this is his way of forgetting Izzy—a task they knew he will always fail in.

"That's rubbish. You know I like working. I like my work. I've dreamed of being an auror ever since our career advice at fourth year", Harry argued as Draco started dragging him to his own fireplace.

"You love your work? That is the best understatement of the year. You practically live your work! You don't have a life outside of it!", Draco snorted.

"Hey! Watch it! I do have a life outside work, you know!", Harry said defensively.

"Yeah? Do tell me, when was the last time you went out on a date?", Draco asked in a challenging tone.

"Er. Why don't we just—go?", Harry said, taking a pinch of floo powder from a pot by his fireplace.

"I knew it.", Draco smirked as he helped himself with floo powder as well.

And before Harry could say anything, he grabbed Harry, and they flooed out of his flat.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

"Both of them aren't here yet?", a girl around the age of 18 asked the tall brunette that was Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy's office secretary.

"Yes. But I expect they'll be here soon. They don't normally go in this late. Oh but then again today's _the_ day", Valerie the secretary replied.

"Oh it's okay. We'll wait. Right, girls?", the young woman asked all her companions and they all nodded eagerly. They were all fresh graduates of different wizarding schools, all around the age of 17 and 18. They dropped by the Auror Department because Harry and Draco were in need of a second secretary, given the amount of work the Minister has placed on their hands.

"Suit yourself. But I'm telling you, exactly one year ago, Mr. Potter came in so late that he missed lunch, and got scolded by the minister for not wanting to go to his own tribute.", she warned them.

"Oh that's so cute! Is he really like what most people say? Noble, humble and great?", one of the more giggly applicants who had blonde hair asked Valerie.

"Well, I guess—so", Valerie replied, trying so hard to fight the urge to roll her eyes at the girls who were obviously crazy fans of the man-who-conquered.

"Can you tell us what he's like? Pleaaaase? Does he date much? What kind of girls does he normally like?", the same girl pleaded.

"Well I'm only his secretary. I wouldn't know a lot about that. But what I know is that he definitely won't like you. He's not fond of blondes you see, especially the platinum blonde hair color. I really don't know why though. I'm guessing he's seen enough blonde hair with Draco Malfoy being his partner.", Valerie said harshly and the blonde girl pouted.

"No, I don't think so. I'm betting it's because of the de Lune heir. You know, Isobelle de Lune? I remember when I was in fourth year, they were sixth years at Hogwarts, and they were an item. But by the end of the year, they broke up and de Lune just disappeared.", another girl spoke.

"Oh yeah! And you remember the final battle? When you-know-who used some other girl and took her as a hostage while she looked like de Lune? _I _was there at the _Battle of Hogwarts_, _I_ saw it happen! Harry Potter never looked so mad in his life.", another girl recalled, exaggerating the part about herself being a witness to the final battle.

"Have you heard of that rumor several years ago about Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy battling for her affections? I soooo hate her! I mean, if that's true, those two men are the hottest wizards alive in England! I sooo envy her!", another one said.

"But then, she is quite the looker herself. She's practically royalty, what do you expect?"

"I wish I had a royal title myself!"

"Dream on, girl. Life isn't fair, you just have to accept that!"

"Ahem ahem. I think Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy are already here.", Valerie announce stoically, and tilted her head towards the door where Harry and Draco currently stood talking to Minister Shacklebolt. Valerie hated the girls more and more by the minute, because of all their gossiping.

Draco looked proud of himself, while Harry was looking irritated. He was rolling his eyes at his partner.

"Told you I'll bring him to work today!", Draco told Kingsley proudly.

"Yes. Yes. I can see that with my own two eyes, Draco. I hope you're not planning on ditching the tribute tonight, Harry.", Kingsley turned to the raven-haired man.

"Actually—I—I'm rather busy with work", Harry tried arguing although he really already expected Kingsley not to accept any excuse thrown at him.

"No, Potter. You will not be working tonight. I am prohibiting you from doing so. That's an order, and that's final.", Kingsley said sternly.

Harry just sighed. He knew it.

The Minister ignored this. "And just to be sure you'll be there tonight, Draco, come to my office. We're going to discuss this pressing matter. You go ahead Harry. I think the applicants for the second secretarial position are already waiting for you. Why don't you go and take a look, eh?", Kingsley told him.

"Enjoy yourself, Potter! And be gentle with the blondes, aryt?", Draco sniggered as Harry started walking towards their office. Being partners, Draco and Harry shared a single office room, only having two separate working stations. They also shared a secretary—Valerie, who, more often than not, gets so stressed out with all the work they have to do. This is why they decided to get someone to help her.

When Harry passed by the giggly girls who were the applicants, they all stood up, chanted a chorus of 'good morning sir'. But Harry just passed by them. He didn't look back, didn't even greet Valerie on his way, got into his office and sat on his chair. He wasn't in a good mood.

"Valerie, the schedule and the papers please!", he called.

Valerie came in at once, carrying the papers that would be their schedule for the day and the records of the applicants.

"What's for today?"

"Meeting with the MLES at one o'clock, Jones trial at courtroom 5 at three, and a personal meeting requested by the Minister at five o'clock this afternoon. And sir, these are the papers of the applicants for the second secretarial position", Valerie said.

"Hmmm. Let me see.", Harry thought aloud as he scattered the papers all over his desk. Each of the papers had a picture of the applicant attached to it. He picked out all the blonde girls in the pile of papers and handed them back to Valerie.

"Send these home. Then choose the most qualified from the remaining ones. You could ask Draco for his opinion if you want. That's all", he replied.

When Valerie got out of the office, the excited applicants were all waiting for her.

"So, what did he say? Did he look at our papers already?", the blonde girl asked.

"Yes. He gave them a quick glance. And, as expected—here you go!", she gave the blonde girls their records back.

"Go home. He doesn't work well with blondes. I heard they tried hiring a blonde secretary before me, and he was always hot-headed at work. He was really really creepy, or so they say. Lucky I'm a brunette.", Valerie said.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

"Yoo dow, yoob dink pee—pel ere dink er dead", Ron said through a mouthful of clubhouse sandwiches. These were bite size pieces supposed to be for cocktails, but Ron shoved 3 pieces into his mouth all at the same time.

"Ron! Would you care to swallow first before talking? That's another thing you might want to consider changing. I don't think I'll be able to stand _that_ when we're already married.", Hermione told her fiancée off. Ron proposed to Hermione on September last year, on her 21st birthday. Ron swallowed with a lot of effort to please his soon-to-be-wife.

"I said you'd think people here think Harry was dead, with the way they're paying him a tribute of some sort every year. I'm not complaining, though. These sandwiches are really good. Kingsley outdid himself again.", Ron said, as he loosened his bow tie (they had to be in formal attire) and helped himself with some more sandwiches.

"You know, this affair started off as a memorial to those who died during the war, actually. They'd just started calling it the 'Harry Potter Tribute' ever since Harry was awarded Order of Merlin First Class.", Hermione said.

"Where is Harry anyway?", Ginny asked.

"Probably being bored with some nonsense conversation with some politicians. I perfectly understand why Harry hates this day so much. Think of all the minutes wasted on discussing wizard-muggle relations, legislation proposals, and Wizengamot policies.", Ron rolled his eyes.

"I don't really think that's why he hates this day so much", Hermione said.

"Oh. There he is! See? He's right next to Kingsley.", said Ginny.

The three waved to Harry, who suddenly looked relieved to see faces of people he actually wanted to be with. Taking that opportunity, he excused himself and approached his friends.

"Hey you guys. I'm so glad I found you here! I'm about to die from boredom. Officer Finnely was just asking me if I was prepared for my 21st birthday. He says he has never seen me with a—what does he call it? ah, 'a fine young lass'. And when he learned that I'll be turning 21 on July, he says I haven't got much time. I mean, what was that all about?", Harry asked them as he downed his glass of firewhiskey in one gulp.

"You mean you don't know?", Ron asked him.

"Don't know what?"

"Uhm, the wizarding world has this tradition of proposal. A son of a wizarding family must propose on or before his 21st birthday—it's supposed to ensure that the wizarding race doesn't become extinct, I reckon.", he explained.

"Oh. Erm—is that strictly—uhm—followed?", Harry asked worriedly.

"In my family, it isn't really. Bill didn't propose to Fleur until 4 years ago, Charlie isn't even married, and Percy did it when he was 22 or 23 I think. The tradition's more for pureblood and noble families. Those who'd want to protect their heritage and pass on their fortunes to their heirs. Draco would probably have to get married soon if he were still in the Malfoy family tree, I bet", he said.

"So you think it'd be alright if I don't—erm—follow the tradition? I mean, I haven't got much time, have I?", Harry grimaced.

"Oh, you? Of course you don't have to follow it if you don't want to. I mean, you were brought up in the muggle world after all. They'll understand, the press will forgive you, in time.", Ron winked at his best friend, who suddenly looked serious.

"Oh come on, Harry! You don't have to get engaged because of some stupid tradition! I'm sure they'll understand! We're in the 20th century for Merlin's sake!", Hermione tried to comfort him.

"Yeah we are. But you know how the wizarding world is. There are some people who just won't let traditions go", Ginny sighed.

"Well I'm pretty sure Harry can get out of this. I mean, who wouldn't forgive the hero of the wizarding world for such a petty sin as violating a tradition?", Ron joked.

"How comforting, Ron. How comforting.", Harry shook his head.

"Don't worry about it, mate. You don't have to do it. I only did it because I really wanted to propose to Hermione. It's not really because of the tradition, you know", Ron said seriously.

"Wait, wait! That's right, _you _followed the tradition—but you proposed on Hermione's 21st birthday, not yours! Does this mean the same thing applies to girls? Don't they have the same tradition for the witches?", Harry questioned him.

"Yeah. There's something similar. But it's rare. The same thing would apply to a girl if she's the only offspring—which I guess is the reason why Ron proposed on Hermione's birthday instead of his own. And it should also apply if the girl belongs to a noble family—royalty perhaps. I think this holds mostly for those who have titles, for those who have crowns and thrones to pass on to their children—royal families in other words.", said Ginny.

Harry immediately thought of Izzy. She had a crown and throne to pass, she was the only direct heir to the de Lune royal seat succession in Greece, although there are technically no real kings and queens existing now. It's just a title now that they're in modern times. They don't have the same political power they used to have during the medieval era.

Ron must have seen in the look on Harry's face that he was thinking about Izzy for she tried to comfort Harry by diverting the topic.

"You know, Hermione's right. We're in the 20th century, and so people don't really follow a lot of these rules anymore. Don't worry, aryt?", he said.

"I was just wondering, you know—a—about Izzy. I mean, as a de Lune, turning 21 must mean she needs to be engaged as well. And probably to someone from another royal family as well. Didn't Professor Binns discuss medieval marriage laws to us or something?", Harry was lost in his thoughts.

"D—did some—one say—hic!—de Lune and medieval marriage—hic!—laws? You know, I—hic!—heard, the de Lune girl—the—hic!—blonde one? Turning 21 this year, that one!", a drunk bald man wearing lime green robes suddenly cut through their conversation.

"Yes, that's right! She's getting—hic!—engaged! I have a d—distant cousin in Croatia and he—hic!—tells me it's rumored to be Everard IV, you know, from the—hic!—royal family of Croatia. I heard they were—hic!—school m—mates at Velley A—acade—hic!—my, and they—hic!—are really g—good friends.", the companion of the bald man, who was also drunk, added.

Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione just stared at the two strangers who were obviously drunk. After a few more minutes of babbling, the two finally found their friends and left the group. Ginny, Ron and Hermione looked at Harry worriedly. He got a new glass of firewhiskey and looked like he was ready to get as drunk as the two strangers. He loosened his tie and downed his glass, once again in a single gulp. Then he reached for a new glass of firewhiskey. Hermione shook her head.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

A/N: Oh wow. Within 24 hours of posting the first chapter I've received more reviews than what I had been expecting. I was worried that my three weeks worth of vacation from writing would discourage some of you from reading the rest of the story. I felt that I was breaking the momentum I already had.

I hope you know how much your reviews are appreciated—good reviews and compliments are sometimes the only thing that keeps a writer writing! I should know, for honestly, much of my updates for _Pretending to be Harry's Girlfriend _were due to clandestine.masquerade, whose comments I always await every time I post a new chapter. The knowledge that there's at least one person in the world thinking that your fics are worth reading, no matter how long they are is one of the best rewards an amateur writer can receive. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart!

And if ever you come across any fic that you really like, (even if I'm not the author, haha) give reviewing a shot. Don't mind if it's not that well-versed, as long as it's sincere, trust me, the author will appreciate it.


	3. Here By Me

Disclaimer: I own nothing in the HP Series. Everything belongs to JK Rowling. But Izzy is mine! (And Marius, although he's hasn't been mentioned or seen yet ;p)

Also, I don't own the song 'Here By Me'. It's the band Three Doors Down that owns that song. (Just ignore the fact that it wasn't released yet in the year 2001). If you don't know the song, I suggest you look for it (download, or just try youtube), and have it played while you're reading the part where Harry's listening to it. You'd feel his mood better if you do that. The song is just perfect.

**Chapter 3: Here By Me**

"Harry, where the hell have you been? Don't you know that I've been looking all over this place for you? The foreign ministers just left, and you didn't even say goodbye!", an irritated Draco Malfoy said so swiftly.

"Am j—juuust—'ere, Drake! Juz heeeere!", Harry said with a stupid grin on his face. He was drunk.

Draco raised his eyebrows and then he turned to Ron, who was the only one with him there. "What happened here?", he asked.

"We tried to stop him. He just wouldn't stop drinking. You can try to talk him out of it if you want. But really, it's no use. I've been here for several hours now."

"Where are the others? Didn't they at least try to talk some sense into him? It's lucky the press hasn't noticed yet.", Draco said.

"Ginny's with Dean. And I think Hermione's with her boss, discussing something work-related.", Ron replied.

But Draco's attention was with Harry, who was currently mumbling incoherent words.

"Harry, c'mon! Wake up! Get yourself some coffee. If you told me you're so upset about this tribute to get yourself pissed I'd have willingly dragged you out of here early!", Draco whispered.

"I don't think he can hear you. And anyway, he didn't almost kill himself with alcohol because of this party. He found out something that really disturbed him"

"And what would that be?"

"That Izzy's engaged."

"What?! But that's impossible!", Draco almost choked on his éclair.

"I know! I know! That's what we thought too! We heard it from two drunk men so we didn't believe it at first. But then we came across the Greek Minister, and he confirmed it. Izzy's engaged to Everard IV the Croatian prince, or duke, or something", Ron said.

"Prince, Ron, prince. Everard's the Croatian prince. I don't believe this. Izzy's never told me anything about an engagement in her letters. Even Marius didn't say anything!", Draco said unbelievingly.

"Aaaah letters! Dat gurl! Never never never ever ever bothers to write baaaaack! Hic! Oops. Hi hi. Excuuuuze me!!", Harry said groggily.

"No wonder he got himself drunk. Harry's still in love with her. He's the ultimate denial king—goes on pretending he's great, he's fine. He can fool the world by making himself the best Auror the ministry has ever had, but he can't fool me. He's biting off more than he can chew with all the work he's been doing. But that's his way of not thinking about her. See? Make him drunk and all he could think of is Izzy", Draco tutted.

"Harry! Ron, what happened?", Hermione, who was approaching them, asked with concern.

"Couldn't stop him. You know how he is when he really wants to do something. Any magic I throw at him doesn't have an impact. He goes wandless at me—waves his hand like a maniac. Wish I can do wandless magic.", Ron sighed.

"I can do wandless magic! A-aand Izzy can toooo! Ha ha! Oh oh!! I love this song!!", Harry giggled like crazy as the sound of guitars filled the air. It was a muggle rock song of the band Three Doors Down.

_I hope you're doing fine out there without me_

'_Cause I'm not doing so good without you_

_The things I thought you'd never know about me_

_Were the things I guess you always understood_

At this point, Harry has started swaying back and forth in his seat and humming the melody of the song while his friends looked at him with concerned and pitiful expressions.

_So how could I have been so blind for all these years?_

_Guess I only see the truth through all this fear,_

_And living without you…_

Then Harry began singing loudly, that some people actually looked at him curiously.

"_And everything I have in this world_

_And all that I'll ever be_

_It could all fall down around me._

_Just as long as I have you,_

_Right here by me."_

Harry ironically feeling more sober than ever, felt hot tears fill his eyes as he realized that he's finally losing Izzy for real. He stared at his glass of firewhiskey with a serious look on his face as the song continued playing.

"You know what I hate about this stupid tribute?", he asked his friends.

_I can't take another day without you_

'_Cause baby, I could never make it on my own_

"It's that thousands and thousands of people come here to celebrate my so-called heroism.", he continued.

_I've been waiting so long, just to hold you_

_And to be back in your arms where I belong_

"Thousands and thousands of people whom I don't even know, I don't care about. Thousands of people I don't need.", his voice was so serious and unfaltering that he surprised his friends by appearing to be so sober after downing a whole bottle of firewhiskey.

_Sorry I can't always find the words to say_

_But everything I've ever known gets swept away_

_Inside of your love…  
_

"Thousands of people to be with me, when I really really only need _one_.", he said very quietly, but loud enough for his friends to hear.

_And everything I have in this world_

_And all that I'll ever be_

_It could all fall down around me._

_Just as long as I have you,_

_Right here by me._

Harry finished his glass of firewhiskey, savoring the way its last drop burned in his throat.

_As the days grow long I see_

_That time is standing still for me_

_When you're not here_

_Sorry I can't always find the words to say_

_Everything I've ever known gets swept away_

_Inside of your love_

And Harry sang solemnly and very softly:

"_**And everything I have in this world**_

_**And all that I'll ever be**_

_**It could all fall down around me.**_

_**Just as long as I have you,**_

_**Right here by me."**_

Then the man-who-conquered dropped his head on the bar counter. He was unconscious.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

"Good morning Mr. Malfoy", Valerie greeted the man who just came in for work.

"Good morning Valerie. Is Harry in already?", he asked.

"No sir. He isn't in yet. I don't think he'll be coming to work today. He doesn't seem quite keen on working this week, is he?", she replied.

"Yes, yes. I've noticed. We've all noticed.", Draco sighed.

"Could he be sick, sir? Because if he is, well…he didn't file for sick leave did he? He'd have to give an excuse owl at the very least.", Valerie said.

"Sick? No, no, I don't think so. You know what, I think I'm gonna have to pay him a visit. We can't afford any more absences from him. The final trial for the Jones case is already set on the coming week, and the papers aren't ready yet. I'm gonna have to take him in by force if that's the only thing that would make him report to work today", Draco said as he left the room and walked towards the apparating stations.

He was ready to go when someone called his name.

"Draco!! Draco, wait up!!", Ginny hollered.

Draco stepped out of the apparating area when he saw her.

"Ginny! What are you doing here?", Draco asked her.

"I just got here, through this station! I'm here for Hermione. We're supposed to meet up for our gown fitting this afternoon. And then I have to check on almost everything we haven't done yet. Tough job, being a bridesmaid! And to think! It's really Izzy who should be doing all these! After all, _she's_ the maid of honor! But no!! _I_ have to do it! Just because _I'm _the one who's here!", Ginny ranted. Ron and Hermione had their wedding scheduled two weeks from now and it's Ginny who feels absolutely stressed out with all the preparations.

"How, about you, Draco, where are you going?", Ginny asked him.

"Me? Well, I'm headed for Harry's place", Draco replied.

"Harry? Why? Isn't he supposed to be at work with you?"

"Oh yeah. _Supposed_ _to be._ But the thing is, he isn't. And he hasn't been to work for several days now. And we still have a major case with unfinished papers due next week. _That's _why I'm taking him in by force if I have to. This is totally absurd! He's the best auror there is! He has a perfect record, he never misses a deadline, and most of all, he's never absent or even late! That's why _I'm_ so curious. So, if you don't mind, I really have to go.", Draco said.

"Wait, Draco. I'm coming with you.", said Ginny.

"What?! What about Hermione? I thought you were going to meet her?"

"Oh, she can wait. I'll just have to tell her what happened. This is really urgent. Especially with what happened over the weekend? During and after the tribute, when he got drunk and started singing that muggle break up song? Oh dear Merlin, and I thought Harry was okay. He told us he'll be okay, and now this?", Ginny sighed.

"Well if you're sure, let's go then, shall we?", Draco asked and then they were gone.

Like the usual, Draco and Ginny were able to get past the wards of Harry Potter's flat since they were two of the few people the man actually trusted. They expected to be able to enter Harry's bedroom (where they suspects Harry is hiding) without difficulty. They were surprised, however, when they found the door to be locked, with Draco feeling its doorknob burning at his touch. Harry had set extra high class wards on his bedroom filtering everyone else but himself.

"Harry! I know you're in there! Can you just please come out, go to work and help me finish the materials for the final trial for the Jones case? It's been set to next week!", Draco shouted through the door.

"Go away, Malfoy! Get a hint from my wards! I don't want to work today. I don't want company! Ask help from someone else!", Harry shouted back.

"Draco! That's not how to do it!", Ginny said disapprovingly.

"You do it, if you're clever! Let's see if you still have that ex-girlfriend charm!", Draco smirked at Ginny who simply rolled her eyes at him.

"Harry? It's Ginny! Are you alright? Can we please please see you? I heard from Draco that you haven't been to work for several days now. We just need to know if you're okay", Ginny said concernedly.

"I'm fine, Ginny! Really! You shouldn't have gone here with Malfoy today!", Harry called from inside his bedroom.

"See? It's no use! We're gonna have to break in!", Draco said.

"What? Break in?! Is that even possible? With the way Harry sets his wards up, I don't think you can do much! And even if you do, he's gonna be really really mad at you!"

"I think you're forgetting just who the person you're with is. I happen to be Harry's partner, so I've seen the way he sets up his own wards. I know exactly how to get around this. Not to mention, I'm an auror. So, I can break in almost any ward I come across. As for Potter's anger, I don't think you'll be able to find anyone who's more used to it than me. Anyone that's currently alive, that is. You seem to have forgotten that we were once archenemies in school. His anger? No big deal", Draco said.

"Fine. Break in then. Just don't be weepy later and tell me I didn't warn you", Ginny said.

But Draco was already muttering some spells and pointing his wand at the door. And after the door glowed white, he kicked it out of its frame, revealing Harry's very much unkempt room. Harry himself was lying facedown on his bed, with a pillow covering his head. He was still in his pajamas.

Harry immediately sat up when Draco kicked the door.

"What the hell! Why—how?"

"Duh. I'm an auror, remember? And your partner too! Oh but maybe you've forgotten, I mean, you haven't been to work lately, have you?", Draco rolled his eyes and scanned the room.

"Geez, Harry. What happened here? It looks like you haven't cleaned up for days. Where's your house elf? Didn't you have one?", Draco asked.

"The wards. I set them up days ago."

"But he's a house elf. He can get past even those."

"I guess so. I mean, when I wake up there's food on my bedside. But he never shows up. Probably knows that I don't want company", he said flatly.

"Harry, you look terrible. What's wrong?", Ginny finally spoke.

"Nothing. I'm—I'm fine."

"Bollocks. You're not fine. You've stayed in bed for what, 3 whole days now, since the weekend? You call that fine?", Draco said.

"Okay, okay, I'm not fine. I'm a little under the weather.", he said.

"Why Harry? Is it still because of what happened at the tribute?", Ginny asked.

"No. Why, that was Friday night! You saw me during the weekend, right? I was even at your house, double checking the final preparations for Ron and Hermione's wedding, remember?", Harry said defensively.

"Yeah, I remember, of course. You seemed fine. But a little off. You were rather distant, really. Are you sure it's—?", Ginny said but Harry cut her off.

"I'm sure."

"I'm not buying it.", Draco folded his arms.

"I'M FINE!", Harry said.

"Then go to work."

"I don't feel well."

"You just said you're fine!"

"I'm fine about what happened last Friday. But I'm not physically fine. I'm a little under the weather, I told you."

"Then why no sick leave? Hah! Because it has to be proved by Healers or at least a mediwitch. And you know very well that you aren't really sick. And that it won't be proven."

"Of course not! I'm really sick!"

"Oh yeah, then what is that empty bottle of Firewhiskey doing on your desk? Been drinking away your depression, Potter?"

"I'm not. I've had that for ages. I've been drinking it little by little. It's only now that I've finished the whole bottle. I didn't drink that in one sitting!"

"I'm still not buying it. You. Are. Not. Fine."

"I'M FINE! Why wouldn't I be?"

"Hah! You really had to ask that question? What, are you trying to play stupid now? It can't be clearer as to why you're not fine!"

"Why?"

"IT'S IZZY! WHY ELSE WOULD YOUR WORLD CRASH DOWN?! WHY ELSE WOULD YOU FALL INTO PIECES LIKE THIS?!", Draco shouted in desperation.

"Get out. I don't want to talk about this.", Harry said in a dangerous tone, as he pointed towards the door.

"Harry, Draco. Can you please please both calm down first?", Ginny interrupted.

"No! I want him out of here. Don't you bring Izzy into this conversation, you—you—! Aaargh!", Harry shouted in frustration.

"See? Wake up Potter. You can't move on if you don't face this. You've been running away from her for years now. You have to face it. Then you move on", Draco said in a more serious and calm tone making his actual concern for his partner evident.

Harry collapsed on his bed from helplessness. And then he sighed with eyes closed.

"She's getting married", he finally said softly.

"Then win her back, Harry, win her back. Write to her.", Draco said.

"She doesn't remember me, she doesn't want to. She doesn't even know me now! You know I've tried writing, back then, a few days, a few months after she left. But she never wrote back. I wrote about a hundred letters, and not a single reply. She doesn't even acknowledge my existence.", a tear escaped Harry's closed eyes.

"Funny, isn't it? Funny how everyone in the wizarding world knows my name, and are dying to receive letters from me. And here she is, someone who doesn't know me, someone who won't even answer my letters. And to think, she's—she's my best friend and I really really do care for her—I actually—", Harry shook his head.

"—a-and I regret not having to tell her—just before she lost her memories of me. And now she's getting married?", he sighed, opened his eyes and turned to his friends.

"Engaged, Harry, she's getting engaged, not married", Draco corrected him.

"Same thing. It's April for Merlin's sake! She gets to be engaged on her birthday, the 15th of May! It's only a month away! And she didn't even have the courtesy to tell us.", Harry groaned.

"Think of it this way, she's just getting engaged. She's not yet getting married. You have at least half a year to win her back.", Draco shrugged.

"Draco, can you leave Harry and I alone for a second? I think it would be better if _I _talk to him about this?", Ginny said.

"Oh. Okay. Harry? It's okay. You'll get through this. I know you will. Take the week off. I'll cover for you, okay? Just please please be back on Monday. Sort this out. And hopefully, you can bounce back better than ever. That's what you're really good at, right? That's what made you the best archenemy ever. You always bounced back stronger than before. Don't disappoint me.", Draco smiled at Harry.

"Thanks, Drake. I can't promise to go through this unscathed. But I will promise one thing. I'll be there on Monday.", Harry replied with a smile of his own. But it looked like it was too painful for Harry to wear.

When Draco was gone, Ginny started talking.

"How are you, Harry? I mean, how are you dealing with this?"

"I—I don't even think you can call this dealing with it. I'm drunk and sober at the same time. I'm depressed and angry enough to pull my place apart but every time I try to pick up a quill and a parchment to write her, my strength wavers. I couldn't even force myself to write 'Dear Izzy'. I'd kill Voldemort a hundred times over, but I can't even write her a letter. There goes my Gryffindor courage down the drain. I mean, aren't we supposed to be the brave ones? The most courageous of the lot and yet—", Harry stopped when he realized he was rambling.

"Oh. Sorry. Too much talking. It's weird. I'm rarely like this. You know me. I—"

"No, Harry, go on. Just let it out. That's natural. You'd really feel like all your thoughts were flowing out of your head like water from a tap after all the years you've been bottling up all these feelings", Ginny said.

"All the years I—what?"

"Harry. You've done too much running already. Don't you think we never thought about it? The way you work? Or didn't you even notice yourself?"

"Notice what?"

"Oh dear. Harry. You're the best Auror that the ministry has. I don't mean to tell you that you don't deserve it or that you wouldn't have been the best otherwise. It's just that, well, you're running away from having to think about Izzy. You always avoid the topic. You've been hell bent on stressing yourself out with too much on your plate ever since the final battle. You've changed a lot after that—you know, the day when you thought she was murdered?"

"Mmm."

"You've never been the same since. But you have to let it go. Let her go. Accept it. Then you'd be a lot better. Accept it, accept the way you feel about her and maybe, just maybe, you'd find that lost Gryffindor courage, and you'll be able to win her back.", Ginny said.

"I don't think that's even possible—winning her back, I mean"

"But can you at least try to accept it. You love her. That's what's true. Accept it. Be honest with yourself."

"You think I'll be able to move on if I do?"

"Of course. In time, you will. Like I did, with you. It took me a lot of time but one day, I woke up one day feeling alright, and my pain was gone. Move on Harry. Move on to forget her or move on to win her back. Personally, I'd like you to choose the second option. But we'll talk about that later, okay? What's important is you move on"

Harry sighed for the nth time. "Thanks, Ginny. I never knew you were good with this kind of talk. You made me feel a whole lot better", Harry smiled a real smile for the first time.

"No problem, Harry. At least I know my Healer training in Psychology has worked, eh? I should really do more counseling, don't you think?", Ginny joked.

"Yeah, you really should. Hey, why aren't you at St. Mungo's, by the way? Aren't they in need of the best Healers there?", Harry smiled.

"Well I'm sorry but I'm currently attending to a patient. All my patients there would just have to wait. Because you know, between you and me, this patient I'm seeing now is a VIP!", Ginny whispered the last part. This made Harry chuckle.

"No, seriously Ginny. Aren't you needed at work?"

"No. I'm escaping Hermione's gown fitting. Honestly! We're witches, you know? I can wear the dress on the wedding day and make it smaller or bigger if I find that it doesn't fit me quite well. Anyway, they won't go looking for me at the hospital. I took a day off. And I'm spending it with you because you need company right now.", she grinned.

"Thanks Ginny. This means a lot to me. It gets too depressing when I'm alone. I can't help but think about her, or drink a whole bottle of Firewhiskey."

"No problem."

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

A/N: Okay, I know JK Rowling made Ginny's future career to be a professional quidditch player and later a journalist on sports for the Prophet. But I personally wanted Ginny to become a Healer. They just survived a war, and Ginny was one of the few people who was right in the middle of it. So I guess, I have a bit of a problem with her wanting to play quidditch professionally right after a war that killed her brother.


	4. Harry's Plans

Disclaimer: I own not a single one of JK Rowling's work. And I don't own the song in this Chapter as well. I'm content in saying that Izzy is mine.

**Chapter 4: Harry's Plans**

It was Monday morning and as he promised his partner, Harry Potter was back at work. As of this moment, he's walking the hallways of the Ministry of Magic, wearing a smile on his face. He was approaching the Fountain of Magical Brethren when his best friend Hermione Granger found him.

"Harry! You're back! And looking good too!", Hermione said as they entered a service lift.

"Yeah. I'm back. Can't afford to miss more than a week's worth of work, can I? We got the Jones final trial this week. I can't miss that.", Harry said with a grin.

"_Level four, Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, incorporating Beast, Being, and Spirit Divisions, Goblin Liaison Office and Pest Advisory Bureau", _the cool female voice of the elevator announced.

Harry expected Hermione to get out of the lift since she was currently working under the Department of the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures—still obsessing over her advocacy on house elf rights. He was surprised however, when she didn't join the crowd that went out of the lift.

"Isn't this your floor? Where are you going?", Harry asked her.

"With you! I need to talk to you, in your office", Hermione beamed.

"O—kay."

"_Level two, Department of Magical Law Enforcement, including the Improper Use of Magic Office, Auror Headquarters, and Wizengamot Administration Services."_, the female voice said.

"This is us!", Harry said brightly.

When they got into the office, noticing Valerie wasn't on her desk, Hermione started talking.

"So, spill the beans Harry! What's gotten into you?", Hermione asked, tapping her foot as she did so.

"What do you mean what's gotten into me?"

"I heard what happened last week. And now you're all cheery, bright and sunny if you will! And I am not liking the smile on your face—it seems as though you have something very sneaky planned", Hermione said, narrowing her eyes.

"A very sneaky plan? How do you even come up with things like this? Is it wrong to smile now, Hermione?", he feigned innocence with another smile.

"No. But that smile! That's the same smile you were wearing when you and Iz—erm—when you were trying to fool Ginny and make her jealous—er—in our sixth year, remember?", she modified her sentence, not sure how Harry would react to hearing Izzy's name.

"Ah. You mean that little charade with Izzy?", Harry showed no signs of being affected by the thought of Izzy, which surprised Hermione.

"Er—yeah."

"That's very observant of you, Hermione. I always wondered why you didn't consider being an Auror. But then again, I guess you're entirely dedicated to spew, aren't you?", he joked.

"It's S.P.E.W.! And don't change the subject! What is it that you're planning?!", Hermione demanded.

"Do you really want to spoil the big surprise? Hmm? Now, if I were you I'd get back to my office, resume my work and stop thinking about this. You're wedding's in a week, you have a lot in your hands, and you can't afford to be distracted. Don't worry, whatever it is that I am planning, you'll find out soon enough, okay?", Harry smirked as he led her out of his office.

Hermione's jaw dropped, as she was being maneuvered out of the Auror Headquarters like a display mannequin. She had no choice but to go back to her office when Harry shut the door in her face.

Meanwhile, Harry turned around, ready to greet Draco on his first day back. He stopped on his tracks when he heard that Kingsley was shouting at Draco.

"Where's Potter?! Where the hell has he been all week? You didn't think I would notice, did you?", Kingsley asked Draco.

"Er—he's not feeling well"

"He didn't file for a sick leave. No excuse owl as well. Care to explain that?"

"Oh I'm sure he just forgot. Probably just slipped off his mind. But you know, he told me he'll be back today."

"Right, right. Do you know where he is now? I really need an update on the Jones case."

"Oh is that all you need? I have all the files in here!", Draco said as he turned around to get the files.

"No. That's not what I need. What I really need is an update from _him_. Not from you. This is my way of checking if you are both doing your part of the job. Stop covering for Harry. Where is he, anyway?", Kingsley asked with a deep and stern voice.

Sensing that his partner was in danger, Harry spoke up. "I'm here, Kingsley, stop being so harsh on my partner. Here's the update for the Jones case. See? I always do my part.", Harry said as he handed Kingsley a thick-looking envelope.

Draco looked relieved.

"What happened to you, Potter?", Kingsley turned to him.

"Wasn't feeling well. But I'm better now! Really, I'm great!", Harry smiled his mysterious smile again, which made Draco raise his eyebrows and become suspicious just like Hermione.

"Are you sure? You know I'm quite disappointed, don't you? I was supposed to announce the new Head of the Auror Department this week. I wanted it to be you, but then you had to choose last week as you moment of irresponsibility. Why, Harry, why?"

"He didn't plan this, Kingsley. He's proved himself for almost two years now. Isn't that enough? Have you ever heard of anyone being considered to be the new Head of Aurors just two years after becoming one? He's great, and there's no one more competent than him for that job, and you know it. Give the post to Harry!", Draco tried to convince Kingsley.

"No, I'll tell you what. Give me a challenging and a major project. And I'll prove myself once more. Ah. I have an idea. Give me the Bellavich-de Lune case.",Harry said.

Draco and Kingsley raised their eyebrows at the same time.

But Harry ignored them. "It's a new one, isn't it? I've done some research—and I think you're going to like what I found. So, go on, send me to Greece. I want to investigate this case.", Harry asked him with a smirk on his face.

"The Bellavich-de Lune case? You want it? Draco, are you sure you two can handle this? I mean, we know very well that Potter might have a hidden agenda in taking this case.", Kingsley turned to Draco.

"No. Give it to us, give it to him. You know, he might be the best cover we'll ever have on this case. I mean, Everard Bellavich, the fourth, that is, is getting engaged to Isobelle de Lune—who happens to be the distant niece of Aurelius de Lune. It won't be suspicious at all, if Harry runs to Greece with the aim of stopping the engagement. Harry here is Izzy's ex-boyfriend, remember?", Draco said honestly.

"I guess you're right. But once both of you are already in Greece, I want you to find out exactly what aces de Lune has against Everard III. This is major work. The ministry of magic of Croatia and Greece has asked for our help. They can't be involved since this investigation concerns their own royals.", Kingsley explained.

"We want to know exactly why de Lune has such an iron grip on the politics of Croatia. And we want to prevent him from taking over Greece as well. You can see the dilemma here, can't you?", he asked them.

"Yes. I can. If Izzy doesn't marry within a year, the crown is passed on to Aurelius' daughter, Amanda de Lune. If she marries Everard IV on the other hand, and we don't discover Aurelius' ill-dealings, he still will have great influence on Greek politics. We don't want that happening.", Harry said. Kingsley was impressed for it was clear that Harry did his research on the topic.

"Okay Harry, Draco, I _might_ give you this case, but this isn't final yet. I'd have to check with the other ministers and governors. I can only recommend you—it's up to their votes if you get the case or not. But I promise I'll let you know as soon as we arrive at the final decision.", Kingsley said.

"Great! I just hope it doesn't take too long, I mean, Izzy's birthday is on the 15th of May. We don't really have much time, do we?", Harry said.

"Of course we should have a decision before that time so that whoever it is that gets the case will be there on her birthday—on the engagement ball. But I don't expect a decision as early as next week. Anyway, it's not like you can leave England for Greece next week. We all have a wedding to go to, right? Ron and Hermione's?", Kingsley smiled at them.

"Yeah. And it's not like we're gonna meet Izzy if we go to Greece next week. She'll be at the wedding as well!", Draco added.

"Oh, will she be there?", Kingsley asked.

"Of course she will there! She's the maid of honor, didn't you know?", Draco asked the minister, who just shrugged.

"Anyway, I'll be reading these updates. See you on the trial on Wednesday, and on the wedding next week. I'll tell you who gets the Bellavich-de Lune case as soon as possible.", he said just before leaving the room.

When he was gone, Draco wasted no time in commending Harry.

"Nicely done. I knew you were gonna be back today, but I never expected you to bounce back so strongly. Really, Harry, you got yourself a perfect plan", Draco patted his back.

"It's all thanks to Marius, actually.", Harry replied.

"Oh, so you talked to Marius recently?", he asked.

"Yes. You see I contacted him by floo, since I wanted reliable news regarding the engagement. So he got this idea of me getting the Bellavich-de Lune case. He was the one who suggested to their Minister that they approach Kingsley. In our conversation, he briefed me as much as possible on the details of the case—he couldn't say much since he didn't know if Aurelius was watching their networks. But he'll be here next week for the wedding and he told me, he'd tell me more by then", he explained.

"Well his timing couldn't be more perfect. We really need this break, and you really need to get Izzy out of that engagement.", Draco said.

"Yeah. It really is the perfect timing.", he replied.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

Lunch break was almost over when Harry found Draco shouting in front of the fireplace.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE JUST PRETENDING?", Draco shouted at the fireplace. He was obviously talking to someone through the floo network. Harry can't hear what the other person's reply was, but apparently it wasn't good for Draco shouted some more.

"YOU'RE BEING ABSOLUTELY STUPID! YOU MEAN YOU'VE BEEN PRETENDING FOR FOUR YEARS NOW? WHAT IS THAT ALL ABOUT? WHY'D YOU HAVE TO HAVE TO PRETEND THAT YOU TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT HARRY? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?"

Harry's eyes widened with shock when he walked towards the fireplace and heard the voice of the other person. It was Izzy's voice.

"You don't understand, Draco! I had to leave England! I had to forget! It's the only way! I had to pretend not to remember him!"

"That's rubbish and you know it.", Draco replied more calmly.

"No it's not. If that's the only thing you can tell me right now, then I'd better go. I have a lot of things in my hands right now. I can't afford to talk to someone who's so unsupportive.", Izzy said harshly and in a flash, she was gone.

"Aaargh!", Draco groaned in frustration.

"D—Draco?", Harry called from behind him.

"Er—Harry! You're back! And you're early too! Good. Good. We can---er—prepare for the Jones trial", Draco said awkwardly.

"Uhm—were you—were you just talking—to—er—Izzy?", Harry asked.

"Oh. You—you heard? Uhm. Yes. I was.", Draco answered truthfully. He didn't see the point of lying when Harry obviously heard bits and pieces of their conversation.

"A—and did she just—say that she's er—only pretending to forget me?", Harry said uncertainly, but he kept his fingers crossed for the possibility that Izzy might have not forgotten at all.

Draco sighed. "Yes. She did. She didn't forget you Harry. She just wanted to run away from everything. She fe—fell in love with you when you were pretending to be a couple. I guess she found it too much to handle, watching you and Ginny together.", he said.

"Hah. This is crazy! This. Is. Absolutely. CRAZY!", Harry said, and he suddenly burst into hysterical laughter. Draco just stared at him.

"Now you've really gone mental", Draco said silently while Harry laughed.

"There's nothing hilarious about it! If you ask me, I really think this is so stupid! I can't believe I'm going to say this but, you two, no matter how great aurors you are, you are the two of the most stupid people I've ever met. You're running away from each other when you're obviously smitten with one another. How stupid is that?", Draco shook his head.

But Harry was still laughing.

"Would you cut it out? I'm trying to figure out why she's doing this! It's like she just threw you down the lake to drown or somethi—oh! Oh, right!", Draco's face was full of realization. At this, Harry stopped laughing.

"What? What is it?", Harry asked, and watched Draco rummage through the drawers of his desk. When he opened the third drawer, he stopped and withdrew from it something very tiny, obviously shrunken.

When Draco restored it to its original size, Harry found that the tiny object was actually a worn-out looking box. Draco handed it to Harry.

"What's this?", he asked.

"Open it and find out", Draco replied.

The box was faded, but by the looks of it, it once was a colorful box. Harry opened it carefully, revealing several of its contents—all looking perfectly well kept, unlike their container.

At the top of the pile of things was a sheet of parchment—it was a letter, to no one in particular. It read:

_It's time to say goodbye. It's time to let all this stupidity go. _

_There's no use holding on to something that isn't even there, right? _

_Today I'm letting this box drown, _

_with the hope of killing all the memories its contents ever gave me. _

_And now, it's time._

_When you love someone so deeply, they become your life._

_It's easy to succumb to overwhelming fears inside._

_Blindly I imaged I could keep you under glass_

_Now I understand to hold you, I must open my hands and watch you rise_

_Spread your wings and prepare to fly, for you have become a butterfly_

_Fly abandonedly into the sun._

_If you should return to me, we truly were meant to be_

_So spread your wings and fly, butterfly_

_I have learned that beauty has to flourish in the light_

_Wild horses run unbridled or their spirit dies_

_You have given me the courage to be all that I can_

_And truly feel your heart will lead you back to me_

_when you're ready to land_

_I can't pretend these tears aren't overflowing steadily_

_I can't prevent this hurt from almost overtaking me_

_But I will stand and say goodbye_

_For you'll never be mine_

_Until you know the way it feels to fly_

Harry recognized the handwriting. It was Izzy's. Harry looked into its contents one by one. He found the sprig of thyme he gave her at the Burrow, several stolen pictures of them taken by Colin, some chocolate frog cards they wrote on, transfiguration scrolls with a horrid-looking drawing of Filch, the ribbon Harry had once stolen from her hair, the ring Harry wove out of grass and gave to her, and the locket which was his Christmas present 4 years ago.

Seeing the locket, he took it, and held it in his hand. He now had two if Izzy's locket. Up until now, Izzy's heart shaped locket remained in his possession for he never had the chance to give it back to her. The locket he was holding now, he always assumed it contained a picture of her and Draco. He thought she and Draco were a couple but then when she left for Greece, Draco made it clear that it wasn't him whom she was smitten with, it was Harry. And so Harry summoned the courage to try to open the locket, and hoped against all odds that the locket would open for him.

The locket only opened for two people. Izzy, who owns it, and the person whom Izzy loves, the person whose picture is inside the locket. Harry held the locket, pulled the two faces apart, and held his breath as it opened. Inside, there was a tiny picture of him and Izzy, with Izzy occasionally resting her head on his shoulder, and Harry stroking her hair.

"Draco, what—why? What is all this?", Harry finally asked.

"Izzy threw that into the lake four years ago. She didn't know I was there at the dock as well, and I had been watching her. After she threw that box, she watched the ripples on the surface of the lake, and she ran away. She never knew that I saw her, that I used a summoning spell on this box, and retrieved it when she had gone away.", Draco said.

"Why—why are you giving it to me?"

"What am I going to do, keep it? I intended to give it to you as soon as you gather the courage to go after her. But it seems as if I've waited too long for that to happen. So I'm giving it to you now. Run after her Harry, you don't have much time. She remembers you! She's only pretending not to! She's running away, just like you did", he said.

"I—I have to go to Greece right now! I really should, right?", Harry was suddenly excited and nervous at the same time. He paced the length of their office, right in front of Draco.

"Harry!! Harry! Stop it! You're making me dizzy! No no no. You can't go to Greece right now. We still have to work on the Jones case. You're hysterical if you think I'm covering you for one more week. And besides, Ron and Hermione's wedding will be next week. She'll be there for sure.", said Draco.

"Right. Yeah, you're right. I have to calm down. I already had a plan this morning. And I think I'm pushing through with it.", Harry said.

"What exactly is your plan?"

"You were there, remember? We're taking the Bellavich-de Lune case. I really want to discover what evil and foul things Aurelius de Lune has hidden in his closet. I'm sure he's blackmailing the Bellavichs for something. He gets away with anything in Croatia, and now he's trying to control Greece and Izzy as well! I'm gonna have to break them up. She can't be married to Everard Bellavich. If that happens, Aurelius will have free reign in Greece as well."

"So, you're gonna present yourself as Everard's competition? You know the royal marriage laws allow that, really. But you have to prove that you're more competent than Bellavich.", Draco said.

"That's how it will appear for the everyone else but Izzy. Well, she likes pretending, right? I think it's time to let her have a dose of her own medicine. I'll run after her, but I'll pretend not to. Let's see how she reacts to that. I want to see what she'll look like once she's beaten at her own game.", Harry smirked.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

A/N: Okay. It's still Harry's POV, I know. But just hang on a bit. Izzy will be in the next chapter. I'm still building up Harry's state of mind here. I don't want him to be all weepy in this story. I'd hate for him to be all sentimental and full angst. So I had to make sure Harry's ready to strike back when Izzy returns. ;p


	5. Going Around Royal Marriage Laws

Disclaimer: I don't own the HP series but the set of characters I do own seem to be growing larger and larger. Izzy is mine, as well as her mother Emmy, her uncle Aurelius, cousin Amanda, friend/mentor Marius, future fiancée Everard Bellavich of Croatia, and Valerie—Harry and Draco's secretary. (And so on.. you get the picture..)

**Chapter 5: Royal Marriage Laws**

"Of course, Uncle Aurelius, I'll make sure Amanda's comfortable with us here while you're away.", she said with an extra greasy tone.

"Thank you, Ysovielle. I knew I could count on you. And don't you worry my dear, I won't be gone for more than a week. It will only be 3 days and 2 nights. I hope Amanda won't be too much of a bother. See you after 3 days!", the man said as he descended the enormous spiral staircase made of marble.

Izzy went back to the study room, where Marius was currently waiting and shut the door behind her. She rolled her eyes.

"Oh, the nerve!! As if I'll worry! It might be better for him not to come back for good. Or maybe not. He'd better take Amanda with him first! Argh! And he even asked me to take care of her! Sure I'll take care of your little Amanda! I'll make sure she has enough hot water, and her curling irons are always prepared, her nails always painted, and her driver for her shopping sprees is always available! Aargh!", Izzy groaned as she settled on the couch next to Marius.

"What are you smiling like that for?", Izzy threw a couch pillow at Marius who was currently looking at her with an amused expression on his face.

"Nothing. It's just…well, it's been a while since I've seen you this irritated. I mean the last time I saw you like this was—was—years ago!", Marius said, faltering at the end.

Izzy stiffened for a split second. Although Marius didn't say anything out of the ordinary, she knew what exactly he had in mind. She knew that he was referring to the time when she ranted to him about Harry and Ginny flirting in front of her, several years ago.

"Well there's absolutely nothing hilarious about this! Can't you see what they're trying to do? They're putting me in a compromising situation!", Izzy huffed.

"Of course I know that. Why do you think we're doing a background check on your uncle? We know there's something going on! I mean it's rather fishy, the way he interacts with the Croatian royal family. What we need is concrete, tangible evidence to prove it.", said Marius.

"I just wish we can prove it right away. I mean, I have nothing against Everard. He's okay, generally speaking. Well, at least I think he is, from what I remember him to be back at Velley."

"I know, I know. I'm not saying that you're being judgmental in not wanting to marry Everard Bellavich. You hardly know the person—you were just classmates at Velley. And quite frankly, I doubt it if you can find any of your classmates that we could call close to him. He always appeared to be a quiet and shy type of guy. Never in my dreams would I even imagine that he'd end up with you! And besides, we have good reason to think that your uncle is controlling their every move. You see how well Croatia bends to his will, right?"

"This is really getting out of hand. I will not marry Everard Bellavich! There's no way I'm handing Greece to Uncle Aurelius and Amanda! They'd have to kill me first!"

"Oh if only the people of Greece can see you right now. They'd be so proud.", Marius joked.

"Shut up! I'm being serious here! Oh, what am I going to do? I can either proceed with the marriage or hand the throne to Amanda since she's next in line. Either way, I lose the game. Isn't there anything in these books about the Elders' recommendation of betrothed?", Izzy asked, pointing at the huge pile of books on top of the study room's desk.

"I've looked over and over again, Izzy. But the recommendation is a must. The marriage law for royals is extra specific. If you were only a pureblood of noble descent, you only need to get engaged by the age of 21. But as you're not just from a noble family but from a royal family, there really has to be a recommendation from the closest de Lune elder. And since your closest elder would be your Uncle Aurelius, he has every right to make a partner recommendation for you. And as we know, he recommended Everard. I'm sorry Izzy, but he's acting according to law", Marius replied.

Izzy was standing in front of an ornate mirror, looking at her reflection, particularly at her eyes.

"So I can't do anything about that. Fine! But why do they call it a recommendation then, if it's all mandatory?", Izzy asked Marius without taking her eyes away from her reflection.

"Are you looking at your eyes again, Izzy?", Marius asked, as he was watching Izzy looking at her eyes in the mirror.

"What? Oh. Yeah. It's been four years already, but I still—well, I'm still not used to it. It's funny really—I'm perfectly okay with this scar on my cheek, you know the one by Bellatrix Lestrange, but my eyes—I can't—it's like they're trying to tell me something.", Izzy said.

"It hasn't done you any long-lasting harm, has it? I mean, if your eyes changed color because of a curse, then certainly, we'd have seen other side effects by now. But there aren't any. So I guess there's nothing to worry about.", Marius said.

"Yeah, the only thing that changed was the color. You know I really like my eyes now. It looks like violet eyes suit me better than blue ones. I dunno why it suddenly changed when I turned 17, though", Izzy said.

Just before Izzy's 17th birthday ended, when she and Marius got back to Greece from England, her eyes became a darker shade of blue, and then it turned violet. She knew that lots of things happened when a wizard or a witch becomes of age—protective spells cast by parents break, your Gringotts Bank account becomes sufficiently wealthier, and you get a glamorous surprise party. But Izzy has never heard of anyone's eyes changing color once they turn 17.

"Oh well, it's not as if I can get an answer by staring at my eyes all day. And besides, we have a bigger problem. How do I get out of the engagement? Do you have any ideas, Marius?", she reluctantly took her eyes off the mirror.

"Actually, I have the perfect solution", Marius smiled at her.

"You do?! Why didn't you tell me?!", Izzy said.

"Well, I only found it this weekend. In one of these books.", he said, as he approached the pile of books by the desk and took one of them in his hand. Marius smiled inwardly. He really did a great job in researching this bit of information this past weekend. And it was quite fortunate as well that Harry contacted him by floo a few minutes after he'd discovered this book. And so everything Marius ever found out from this book, he told Harry.

"Well? What is it?"

"It seems that we were looking for the wrong solution. You see, as I told you earlier, we can't prevent Aurelius from recommending a fiancée for you. But—as the term connotes, it is a recommendation—merely, a recommendation", Marius said.

"If you put it that way, it's more pleasing to the ears. Looks like I might like where this is going. Go on", she smiled.

"What do you know about the term 'recommendation'?", he asked.

"It's an option, preferred by someone else, and is suggested to you. But, as a recommendation, it's just _one_ of the options. Meaning, you can consider it, others might want you to choose it, but the final word is yours. It's up to you whether or not you're going to pick that recommendation. Am I right?"

"In the common sense of the word, you are. But in royal marriage laws, not exactly, but close enough. This recommendation is more powerful. It must be taken when there is no other option available. But—it may not be followed.", he smiled at her.

"So that's it? I can choose not to marry Everard simply because it's only a recommendation?", she asked, crossing her fingers as she did so.

"Not really. You can only get away with not marrying Everard—IF—you are able to present to your Uncle Aurelius, and to Greece, a wizard more competent than Everard. A wizard that you of course, would want to marry.", he said.

Silence.

"A wizard more competent?"

"Yes."

"Then let's go find one! I swear I am going to marry the first wizard we ever find that's more competent than Everard Bellavich. Again, I have nothing against him as a person, but I've seen the way the royal family of Croatia lets Uncle Aurelius get away with things—I'm not going to let that happen to Greece. If I get married to Everard, that certainly means he gets to decide on some things that matter to my country without my consent—I'm not giving him that ticket!", she said with conviction.

"You're gonna have trouble looking for a wizard who's more competent that Everard. You see, I'm starting to think that Aurelius has been planning this moment for several years—so much so that he's been prepping Everard with all his might. My sources tell me that he's been training Everard for the day of his engagement to you without him knowing. It's not surprising at all that his credentials, his breeding, his skills—they're all impressive!", Marius said.

"Oh I'm sure there must be someone who's better than _him_. I mean, he can't be all that perfect, can he?"

"Yes, I'm sure you'd find someone better in certain aspects, but not in every aspect. You might find someone who's smarter, but not of noble blood. You might find someone who's more accomplished but ignorant in the ways of politics."

"Yeah, you're right. That will be the problem. Oh if only I could find someone, I swear I'll willingly get myself engaged to that person, if only to ensure Greece's safety.", she sighed.

"Oh, how lucky of you though, because I found someone more competent than Everard", Marius smiled rather evilly.

"Really? I thought—well, you just said it's impossible!"

"I never said it's impossible. I merely stated that it's such an arduous task", Marius replied.

"Who is it, then?"

"Harry Potter", he replied resisting the urge to wince at Izzy's outburst he's expecting any minute now.

"WHAT?! ARE YOU INSANE?"

"No. Unfortunately for you, no. Could you at least stop and think it over? Because you know, if you do, you might realize that he really is a potential choice—and that he has a good enough chance in proving to everyone that he's a better partner for you than Sir Everard Bellavich, IV", he said, exaggerating the part _Sir Everard Bellavich IV_, sounding as if he were mocking the man.

"You know, Marius, if you're joking, you better cut it out while I'm still calm", she said slowly.

"You know, Izzy, I am not joking.", he said, partially imitating her manner of speech.

"It's really not funny. Of all the times you choose to bring this out on my face, it had to be this pressure-filled moment. You know that I haven't been in very pleasing situations this past week. Do you really have to add fuel to the fire?", she rolled her eyes at her former mentor.

"I'm just being honest, Izzy. I don't like to _pretend_.", he said.

"Marius!"

"Why, Izzy? Why are you still affected? I thought you did this in order to forget him?"

"I'm not affected. I just hate that you're doing this to me _now_, of all the times you could have picked."

Marius sighed a very audible sigh. "When will you learn, Izzy? Running away from the problem doesn't solve it! Pretending is no means of forgetting someone. Out of sight, doesn't mean out of mind. No matter how many times the phrase is used as a cliché! You may be miles away from Harry, you may be pretending you don't even know him or even pretending that he doesn't exist, but obviously, your heart still belongs to him."

"Eew. Stop being so sentimental."

"Oh don't think I don't hear you talking in your sleep. I check on you at midnight every single day. And it's not rare to find you sleep-talking—muttering Harry's name", he said.

Izzy blinked rapidly.

"Give it up Izzy. You failed. Terribly. I let you do this little charade of yours for several years thinking that this might be the only thing that would satisfy you. But it's not working! You're just wasting your time! So if I were you, let him break up the engagement! You know, he told me he wants to try. Why don't you give him a chance?"

Izzy looked shocked at Marius' words.

"He wants to try? Wait, you talked to him?"

"Yes. So what if I did? I searched for the first person that came into my mind when I read this book about royal marriage laws. Wasn't I supposed to be helping you find a solution to this engagement fiasco?", he replied, not being entirely truthful. It was Harry who contacted him by a lucky strike of fate.

"And what did he say?", Izzy hanged on to every word that came out of Marius' mouth, hoping so badly to hear something that would combine the words 'Harry', 'loves' and 'you' in a single sentence.

"That he wants to try! Even if you don't remember him, he wants to break up the engagement. He knows what's at stake and I told him that he may be Greece's only hope", he said. He wasn't about to give Harry's kept feelings for Izzy right away, was he? Harry specifically instructed him not to make it appear like he's dying to win her back. He wants to teach Izzy a lesson that's why.

Izzy looked crestfallen.

"Ah. So that's why he wants to try. You told him about Greece's political situation. He's being noble about it. That's why.", she said with a disappointed tone in her voice. Obviously she was hoping that Harry expressed his desire to be engaged to her because he loved her. And obviously with the way Marius has told his story, she thought that Harry was just trying to be some hero again.

"Well I don't need his help. If he's just being noble about it, then he can stay away. I don't need someone with a saving-the-people problem.", she said haughtily.

"Izzy, if you don't let him, you're gonna have to marry Everard.", Marius said.

"No. I'm just gonna have to find someone else who's more competent than him."

"And what if there's no one else?"

"Then you're right. I'm just gonna have to marry Everard.", she said with a conclusive tone.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

"Oh but Izzy, my dear, where are you going?", a petite woman with golden curls asked Izzy in an overly sweet, almost chipmunk sounding voice.

"I told you so many times over, Amanda, I'm attending a wedding at England!", she replied, trying hard not to sound like she was irritated. But she really was. She was in the middle of packing her things inside her large bedroom in the de Lune manor when her cousin Amanda knocked at her door and started asking her tons of silly questions.

"Oh. Right. It's a pity you can't join me and father, though! We're going to transfer to the larger palace today—to the summer palace! Isn't it exciting, my dear? That's the bigger one, the one in the hidden island and the more ornate one too! It's for the summer holidays, did you know?", Amanda said in a giggly tone.

"Yeah. That's why it's called the summer palace, isn't it?", Izzy grimaced.

"Oh. I didn't notice _that._ Geez, you're so smart, my dear Iz!", Amanda smiled at her.

"Er—thanks, I guess. Don't worry, as soon as we get back home from England, we'll be following you there.", she replied, trying hard not to laugh at her cousin's stupidity.

"Oh but you'll miss a week of your stay there! Poor you!", Amanda pouted.

"No. Don't worry about me, Amanda. I don't think I'll miss it all that much. You see, I grew up here and I practically spent around 15 summers in that palace. So, you get my point, I guess?", Izzy wasn't sure exactly how thick her cousin can be.

"Uhm—pretty much, maybe. Er—whose wedding are you going to attend again?"

"Oh, my friends from Hogwarts. Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. You see, I'm Hermione's maid of honor."

"Oh. Wow! My dear dear Izzy! They're really famous right now, aren't they? Weren't they the ones in the final battle a few years back? Oh Merlin! Does that mean, Harry Potter's gonna be there?", Amanda suddenly got excited.

"Er—yeah. He's the best man.", Izzy said awkwardly. She was trying hard not to think about that piece of information. Behind her, Marius watched her amusedly.

"Oh can I go too? Please, Izzy? Please?"

"Amanda, you're not invited. I mean, you're not on their guest list!", she rolled her eyes.

"But why?"

At this, Izzy almost laughed hysterically. She managed to stop herself just in time.

"I don't really think you know each other. So, I mean, there really isn't a point in inviting you to their wedding if they don't know you at all, right?"

"Oh. Yeah. That makes sense!"

"Anyway, I really really have to finish packing. We leave this afternoon, and I'm still not finished putting all my stuff in my suitcase. So, if you don't mind, I'm gonna have to continue with this", she said in the politest way possible.

"No problem, Izzy my dear. I have to take my beauty rest as well. Catch 'ya later!", Amanda waved at her, and winked, and then left the room.

"She is one weird woman", Marius said from behind Izzy. He had been briefing her about the details of their stay in England while she packed her things when Amanda suddenly decided to 'brighten up' their day.

"Uh huh. She really is, isn't she? Well, at least we know she's good-natured in general", Izzy said, concentrating on the brighter side of things.

"Just a little dumb though", Marius snorted.

"Don't let yourself be caught by Uncle Aurelius saying that", Izzy warned him.

"Sure. I'll remember that piece of advice, my dear, Izzy", Marius said in his best imitation of Amanda. The result was freaky—he sounded like a chipmunk being strangled.

"Ugh. Don't do that again. It doesn't suit you at all", Izzy shivered.

"Hey! I put a lot of effort into that!"

"Whatever, Marius. You know apart from the fact that she's a little off with her comments, Amanda's quite bearable once you get used to her.", she said more seriously.

"Uh huh. At first I thought it was all an act, you know, for her to get our trust. But after that background check confirmed that she's really like that, I guess it's safe to say that she's no threat. It's really Aurelius we should be worrying about, not Amanda", Marius said.

"Yeah. It's a pity though. Amanda could have been a much better person, and much smarter too, if she didn't have Aurelius as her father. I mean, imagine if she was able to fully develop as a person without her domineering father. She might have made it big in the world of politics, or in school at the very least", Izzy said.

Marius just laughed at her remark. "It sounds like you don't think there's much one can do for Amanda. Do you really think she's _that_ hopeless? C'mon! Give her some slack! She's not that bad!", Marius said.

"Hey, if I didn't know better I'd say you're starting to like her! You actually are, aren't you?"

"Of course not. You know me, I like the intellectual ones", he smirked at her.

"Yeah right. Like Casey back at Velley? She wasn't _that _bright and yet she's your ex-girlfriend! But I do recall her having golden curls too!", Izzy said with a vicious tone.

Marius didn't reply. He just rolled his eyes.

"Aren't you supposed to be packing your things? We leave this afternoon, right?"

"Fine, change the topic, if you must. I'll get back to you later. You're so damn lucky I need to finish packing."

"Aren't you excited, Iz? You're gonna see all of them again. Ron, Hermione, and most especially, Harry! You know, it's really wonderful, the way Hermione made you her maid of honor and the way Ron made Harry his best man. It's like, a match made in heaven!", Marius said mock dreamily.

"Shut up!", she replied.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

A/N: I told you Izzy's gonna be here in this chapter! And soon enough, she'll be going back to England!! You'll gonna find out what happens when they meet again!! But I'm telling you Harry has got something great planned for it. Izzy won't know what going to hit her in the face by being so mean to Harry! Hah! But then I love Izzy, so, she'll recover from it. And the fun begins!!


	6. According To Plan

Disclaimer: If you've read anything about it prior to my fics, it's not mine. Izzy, Marius, Aurelius, Amanda, Everard, Valerie—they're mine though.

**Chapter 6: According to Plan**

It's been a week since Harry came back to work with a mysterious smile on his face, and a brilliant plan formulated in his head. Right now, the same Harry Potter could be found behind his desk at the Auror Headquarters of the Ministry of Magic, writing a letter for a certain Marius Athanas in Greece.

The sound of his quill scratching the surface of his letter's parchment was interrupted by the sound of footsteps entering his office. It was his partner, Draco Malfoy, who arrived with the minister himself, Kingsley Shacklebolt.

"Hey, Potty! Guess who I bumped into on the way here?", Draco asked him. He still had his old habit of calling Harry all sorts of names—but now without the intention of insulting him. Harry wouldn't dare say it aloud, and in front of Draco, but he certainly thinks that this actually is Draco's version of those 'terms of endearment'.

"Do you really need to ask a dumb question, Malfoy?", he snapped back jokingly.

"Potter, Malfoy, stop arguing like a bunch of brats. Let's go straight to the point shall we?", Kingsley asked the two men. They all settled around a small meeting table located at the far end of their office.

"So, have you decided already? It's been a week, right?", Harry went as straight to the point as possible, just like Kingsley asked them to.

"Ah. Yes. We have decided. And…congratulations! You two will get the Bellavich-de Lune case.", Kingsley announced.

Harry's smile couldn't have been wider. "I knew it. Thanks, Kingsley. You won't regret this. I'll—we'll make sure to get to the bottom of all these", he said.

"You better not make us regret this decision. Your careers are at stake here. Anyway, your papers will be arranged while you're killing time being busy with the Weasley-Granger wedding. You will be going to Greece on the first of May.", Kingsley said.

"Right away? Ron and Hermione's wedding are on the 28th right? You mean, we leave after 3 days?", Draco asked.

"Yes. It's not like you have anything else to do. This will be your only assignment for weeks, or maybe even months. It depends on how much time you actually need. But I guarantee you, as long as you're working on this particular case, you won't be given any other case to work on. This is our top priority, the most important case in our list. So I hope you'll treat this one like it should be treated—a major case that should not be put aside for something else", Kingsley said.

"Of course. This case is our top priority.", Harry said with full conviction and with much seriousness in his voice.

"Good. If that's the case, then we won't be having any problems. I brought the papers, documents and files that you will be needing. They're all here in this envelope.", he said, handing them a very thick envelope.

"Of course, you will be needing more. While you're there, everything you will need you can get from Marius Athanas. You know him right? I believe he was your Defense Against the Dark Arts professor several years ago. He is currently the Magical Law Enforcement Squad Adviser (Greek Chapter) and Isobelle de Lune's representative to the Parliament.", he explained.

"Whoa. I didn't know that. I knew he was involved here somehow, since he really knows a lot. But I thought that's only because he's accompanying Izzy. I never knew he's legally involved in all of this. But I should have expected it!", Harry expressed his surprise at this news.

"Ah yes. Well, Marius Athanas is a brilliant man, so it's really not surprising that he's a competent enough person to delve into politics. Plus, what's great about having him as our contact regarding insider affairs is the fact that you both know him so well, and we are sure that he can be trusted.", Kingsley analyzed.

"Wait, isn't he coming to the wedding this Saturday as well? So, will we be going to Greece with them?", Draco asked.

"Ah, yes. Marius and Izzy will be coming back to Greece on the first of May as well. We purposely scheduled your trip to coincide with theirs to avoid suspicion. It is common knowledge that the four of you are really good friends, so there should be nothing surprising at all with both of you tagging along with them. We will make it appear as though they merely invited you for a summer vacation. Ms. de Lune is entitled to invite her own friends to her up and coming engagement ball, anyway. I hope you're okay with that arrangement.", he said.

"That's not a problem Kingsley. In fact, it couldn't have been more perfect.", Harry smirked. Everything was going according to plan.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

Draco sat rather comfortably on his chair, with his feet on the top of his desk. He was watching his partner, Harry Potter, with an amused expression on his face. Harry was currently rummaging through his desk drawers one by one, picking which items he would pack for Greece. But the most interesting part in this scene closely watched by Draco was the fact that Harry had been wearing a stupid grin on his face—a grin that he didn't even notice was there.

"What?! You're scaring me. You've been watching me like one of those secretary applicants.", Harry remarked as he noticed how strangely his partner was watching him.

"Uck. Puh-lease, Potter. Do I look like someone who'd fawn over you? Sorry to burst your bubble but you're not my type. I was merely watching how stupid you look, wearing that grin on your face.", he smirked.

Harry snorted. "Wait till you find someone who makes you smile stupidly, Malfoy. Once you do, trust that I'll be the first one laughing at your face", he retorted.

"Like that'll ever happen! You know me, the more the merrier!"

"Ah, so that's why you bring home a different girl every night! Hasn't it ever crossed your mind that they might have met one another and talked about you behind your back?", Harry asked him.

"So what? The only thing they could talk about is how good I am at bed. I won't blame them if they do, I mean, what's there not to talk about?", Draco smirked.

Harry merely rolled his eyes. His partner was such a playboy—everyone in the wizarding world knew that.

"Anyway, enough about me. You know I really love talking about myself but I'd like to talk about you today, hmm? Looks like's someone's happy and excited to be packing almost two weeks in advance, eh?", he joked.

"Hey, there's always no harm done in doing things early! We never know if we'll have the time to pack later. I mean, there's the wedding of course. And before that I'm throwing a bachelor party for Ron.", he explained.

"Oh, right. A bachelor party. I'd better pack then too! No time with so many girls around, eh?", Draco winked.

"Right.", Harry chuckled.

Suddenly, there was a knock on their door. It was Valerie.

"Er—you asked for me?", she said.

"Ah. Yes, yes, Valerie. We have good news. We won't be having a case this week.", Draco announced.

"Uh, I knew that ages ago. Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger's wedding, right?", she said.

"Draco, you nutters. Of course she already knew that. Tell her the other good news."

"Ooo—kay. Pack your things, we leave for Greece on May 1st.", he smiled.

"Greece? B—but why—oh! You got the Bellavich-de Lune case?", she realized.

"Uh huh! It's the ministry's top priority case! And it was given to us! You're going too, of course. We're gonna be needing all the help we can get.", Harry said excitedly.

"Er—but you've never brought me to any of your cases before", Valerie was confused.

"Of course. But this one's different. There isn't much actual battle involved in this case. It's more of political schemes, espionage, and investigation. So, we've decided to bring you along with us. Well—that is, if you want to go..", Draco said quite dramatically. This amazed Harry. When they were at Hogwarts, he never imagined Draco to be a person fond of drama—but apparently he was. It was one of the many interesting things Harry found out about Draco once they've become friends.

"Are you kidding? Of course I want to go! I've never been to Greece and a lot of my friends have told me that it's really really wonderful. And I've never been to an engagement ball of a royal! Oh wow. Not to mention, I've never been to any of your cases. This will be the first time I'm actually going to see you work!", she said excitedly.

"Oh—but.", her excitement faded away.

"What is it?"

"The applicants. That's what I was scheduled to do while you were away—screen the applicants for the second secretarial position."

"Oh don't worry. Cut the list down to three, or two, if you can. Then we'll bring them along", Harry said.

Draco raised his eyebrows.

"A—are you sure?"

"Positive. We'll be evaluating them there, without them knowing, okay?", he said.

"Okay then.", Valerie's excitement was back.

"If there's nothing else you'd want to tell us, go home. Pack your things for next week and rest. I'm sure you're gonna need it. The next few weeks won't be easy", he said and Valerie left the room, almost skipping on her way out.

"What was that all about, Harry? You, bringing two to three girls to Greece?", Draco asked him.

"Well, I figured, if we have applicants to be screened, we might as well do the screening there, right?"

"Or, you could just choose now, and just bring one."

"Oh no no no. The more the merrier, right?"

"Hey, that's my line. Make up your own!"

"That's not even original, you prat!", Harry snorted.

"So, you're planning to play my part now? Act the playboy?"

"Maybe. What do you think?", he smirked.

"Sounds like a great plan. The more the merrier!", Draco agreed.

"Great. Glad you agree. Everything's almost ready. We're really going according to plan.", he said.

"Uh huh. I never knew you had a knack for planning, Potty. I'm impressed"

"I never knew myself, ferret!", Harry said as he opened the final drawer of his desk. He withdrew from it the box Draco had given him a few days ago—the box that contained Izzy's things, the things that reminded her of Harry.

"Are you bringing that to Greece?", Draco asked.

"Of course. I'm gonna show it to her face if she decides to go on pretending she doesn't remember me. Let's just see how she reacts when she sees this", he replied.

"I bet she'd be shocked out of her wits. She probably thinks that box is rotting away at the bottom of the lake, or maybe eaten by the Giant Squid", Draco thought aloud.

"Yeah, probably. Er—Draco, you know you're the only one who knows about Izzy pretending not to remember me. Can you do me a favor and not tell anyone else? I want to be the one to tell Ron, Hermione, and Ginny and maybe the rest of the Weasleys—I want to get their help, you see. A—and can you not tell Izzy that I know about it as well? I mean, I want to tell it to her face", he smirked.

"Sure sure. Have it your way. My lips are sealed!", Draco said, doing the zipper motion on his lips.

"Hey, I wonder what this is.", Harry said, picking up a video tape that was placed inside the box he was holding.

"Duh, Potter, 2 years of being an Auror and you still don't know what that is? And to think you grew up in the muggle world. That's a diveo tape, remember?", Draco said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. In fact he looked as if Harry were having trouble identifying a wand.

"Of course I _know_ what it is. And for your information, Malfoy, it's a video tape, not a diveo tape. I was merely wondering what its _contents _are.", Harry rolled his eyes.

"Right. Let's watch it then, to find out.", he suggested.

Harry grabbed the tape and the two of them walked towards a room at the back of the Auror Headquarters—it was the screening room/board room. It was where they held large meetings and watched video tapes like this.

When the tape played, he was surprised to find the footage of their Christmas four years ago at the Burrow.

_The camera was focused on the floor as Mr. Weasley was trying to figure out how to operate his Christmas gift from the twins. _

"_How does this thing work?", his voice asked._

"_I think it's already working, dad. See, look at that light, ah yes, it's working", one of the twins said. _

"_Ah and here's our first subject, eh?", the other twin said._

_The camera swung to show Ginny in the frame. _

"_Happy Christmas, dad! Fred, George! Hey, thanks for the new fireworks! Are they the ones you made over the summer? Those were brilliant!", Ginny told the twins._

"_Nah. They're improvements of the one we did last summer—with Izzy's help of course. If you thought those fireworks from last summer were great, wait till you see the new ones we gave you!", George said, saying hi to the video camera after talking to Ginny. _

"_Oooh! Really? Wow, I can't wait! Mmm.. what's that smell", Ginny asked._

"_Ham—what?", Mr. Weasley's voice asked as the four of them descended the staircase, and entered the kitchen._

"_Happy Christmas!", Mr. Weasley's voice greeted cheerfully from somewhere behind the camera._

"_What's that?", Ron, who was currently looking at the camera curiously. _

"_It's a diveo camera—the twins gave it to me for Christmas. It records everything that happens, like a wizarding picture with sounds and no time limits", Mr. Weasley replied ecstaticly._

_Hermione who was beside Ron, giggled. "I think what you mean is a video camera!", she corrected Mr. Weasley._

"_Happy Christmas everyone! Wow! What are you cooking? That smells so great! Oooh! Nice boots and skirt, Izzy! They're from Charlie, aren't they?", Ginny suddenly asked Izzy. The camera turned to Izzy. _

"_Happy Christmas Ginny! The skirt is from Fleur and yes, the boots are from Charlie!", she replied._

"_Oh I'm so envious. How come Charlie has never given me a pair of dragon hide boots? I guess it's because he fancies you!", Ginny teased Izzy, who looked a little uncomfortable. _

"_Well, why don't you ask him to give you a pair of these boots? I'm sure he can't refuse his only sister!", Izzy said._

"_Oooh. Is that a new locket in your necklace? Who is it from, eh? Your mysterious lover? Can I see it? Does it open?", Ginny asked too many questions, and Izzy looked as if she was dreading the moment they'd ask her to open her locket. _

"_Don't bother Ginny. It won't open for you. I gave that to Izzy for Christmas. She can put a picture of her and her special person—and the locket will only open for her and that person, you see", Harry explained._

"_It's from you? Oh. You've already put a picture Izzy?", she asked. Izzy nodded shyly. Her face was red. The camera caught it. _

"_Hey, why does Izzy have a Christmas present from you and I don't?", Ginny confronted Harry._

"_Jealous are we?", Harry asked her._

"_Well it's pretty obvious that you forgot to get me a present. I'm not asking for much you know. I just thought you'd remember to give me something—even a handmade card will do!", she said in mock hurt._

"_Ginny, of course I didn't forget you! Here you go!", Harry said._

_At the background, Mr. Weasley whispered, "Ooh. This looks interesting. I have to get closer."_

_And the camera, (and Mr. Weasley, since he didn't know how to use the zoom in button yet), went closer and closer to Harry and Ginny. Mr. Weasley was obviously trying to capture their little exchange. _

"_Oh my. Harry! You didn't have to!", Ginny's eyes watered and she hugged Harry very tightly after she had opened the small box he gave her. Harry's present was an elegant gold necklace which had her name on it. Harry saw her looking at this particular necklace which bore her name at the jewelry store last summer—during the time when Harry pulled Izzy's ribbon out of her hair many many months ago. _

"_I saw you looking at that last summer, so I thought you might like it", he smiled sheepishly._

"_Like it? I absolutely love it! Thanks Harry!", and she hugged him once more._

_Behind them, the camera captured Izzy was trying hard not to be affected by this little exchange. It was obvious that she couldn't stand looking at Harry and Ginny, but she couldn't stand not looking at them yet hearing their exchange even more. She was looking longingly at Harry and Ginny—her eyes narrowing, flashing dangerously, and looking as if she were about to cry all at the same time. She was fidgety, like she couldn't stay put seeing Harry and Ginny that close to one another. She was like this until she found a way to distract herself by turning away and flipping burgers on the grill once more. _

There were more recorded scenes in the video footage. But these were mostly recordings of the fireworks display, the twins' pranks and the chess match between Ron and Charlie. Harry felt that he had seen the important part of the video—the part that made Izzy decide to include this in the box and throw it down the lake.

He was there during Christmas Day at the Burrow—there in the flesh. But he never noticed the way Izzy was looking at him. He never saw how jealous she got when Harry gave Ginny her Christmas gift. It was funny how a video tape can capture things you have ignored, much like when you review your own memories in a pensieve.

"That was really obvious. Don't tell me you never noticed the way she was looking at you and Ginny", Draco suddenly spoke up.

"Er—actually, I didn't. It's really stupid of me, isn't it?", Harry said embarrassedly.

"Not really. More like—insensitive", Draco replied.

"Was I really the only one who didn't notice? I mean, did everyone else know about it?", Harry wondered aloud.

"Pretty much, yes. You see, Izzy is a very transparent person. She's emotional, and you can see her emotions easily through her actions. That's why no matter how many times she pretends—and she usually does that a lot, it doesn't really work. You can see her real emotions anyway. She's actually not good in pretending", he said.

"She was good in pretending we were together though"

"Well, that's because she was really in love with you, you dolt. Up until now you remain all dense about it! You're the only one who failed to realize how she really felt about you. Doesn't that even bother you?"

"Of course it does. I mean, how could I have been so blind? Everyone else knew about it, everyone else thought it was obvious… everyone else but me. Why didn't I see just how she felt, how she cared for me, how she loved me? Why does it always have to be too late before I realize things?", Harry sighed.

"You know, Harry, it's okay. It isn't _that_ late. You get to have another shot at it now. So, if I were you, I'd make sure not to waste this chance. You never know when you'll get another chance. In fact, this might be your last. If you ruin this, who know when the next opportunity will come? So, go, tiger. Go get her", he smirked.

"You know, I'm more of a lion really, not a tiger.", Harry smiled.

"Ah. There you go again, the Gryffindor pride.", Draco shook his head.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO **

A/N: Guess what's in the next chapter?? Chances are, you're already thinking of it. Uh huh, you got it right!!

(Though I can't hear your thoughts, I'm sure you know the answer. A hundred percent sure.)


	7. I Totally Forgot All About You

Disclaimer: I own a lot of characters in this story but unfortunately there are more characters here that I do not own. JK Rowling owns HP.

**Chapter 7: I Totally Forgot All About You**

He threw floo powder at the fireplace as quickly as possible. He was contacting the office regarding the new applicants.

"Val? You there?", Harry asked. His head was surrounded by emerald green flames, but he felt nothing burning.

"Yes yes, I'm here.", Valerie answered from their office at the Auror Headquarters.

"Are the applicants in?"

"Yes. They just got in."

"Okay, listen closely because I don't have much time. Bring them down to the apparition area. I will meet all of you there when I arrive in about 30 minutes. I really don't have much time so I plan on meeting them first thing in the morning. Understand?"

"Yes, sir. We'll meet you in 30 minutes."

"Okay. Thanks, Val. See you later.", Harry said as he took his head away from the fireplace.

Around 10 consecutive knocks were rapped on his bedroom door. To him it sounded as if 5 people were knocking at his door simultaneously. And he was almost right. For outside his door, Draco Malfoy, Ginny Weasley, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger were waiting for him frantically.

"Harry! It's 8:15!! Do you really want to be late for this?", Hermione shouted from behind his door.

He opened it so suddenly that Ginny fell out of balance. A second ago she had her ear pinned to his door, trying to listen to sounds Harry was making in his room.

"Ooops. Sorry, Gin. I'm almost finished! Would you all just give me another minute?", Harry panicked.

Ron rolled his eyes. "Another minute? C'mon, mate! What do you think it is that we have been doing for the last fifteen minutes? You've changed outfits at least 5 times already!"

"Try being in my position, Ron! Just try! I'll finally see Izzy today after what—four years? Of course I'm panicking! Who wouldn't? I can't seem to find anything good enough to wear!", Harry groaned.

"Just wear _that_. That looks fine.", Ron said, pointing at what Harry was currently wearing.

"Fine isn't good enough!"

"No, actually, that's not fine. That's totally obvious. It's too dressy for the occasion. She'll definitely think Harry's totally excited to see her", Draco said, eyeing Harry's attire critically.

"Well, why don't you stop wasting our time with all your fashion critiques, and help him if you're so stylish?! At least that way we get to save time!", Ron grimaced at Draco.

"Well, if you insist!", Draco joked.

But Ginny elbowed him and looked at him with narrowed eyes. This wasn't the time for jokes. If Harry goes on with this attitude they were gonna be late in waiting for Izzy and Marius to arrive at the Portkey Station inside the Ministry of Magic.

Draco sighed and approached Harry inside his bedroom. "You know, Harry, Weasley's right. Why don't you let me help with that?", he said as he opened his closet and looked for something Harry could wear.

After a couple of minutes, Draco presented him with a white button up shirt with sleeves up to his elbows and dark denim jeans that were fashionably torn in some places.

Harry raised his eyebrows.

"Isn't that too informal for work?", he asked.

"Hey, we don't have work this week! We're just going to the ministry to fetch Izzy and Marius", Draco replied.

"But I'm stopping by at the Headquarters"

"For what? Still trying to kill yourself with work? Kingsley gave us the week off!"

"Not work, really. I have to screen the new applicants with Valerie. We don't have any other time for that! And besides, I have some stuff left in there. I'll need those in Greece", he said defensively.

"Just bring you robes and your badge. That will do. In fact that's perfect. Put your robes on top of this outfit, but loosely.", Draco smirked evilly.

"Fine", Harry said as he started taking his shirt off, displaying his perfectly chiseled abs for everyone to see.

As if by instinct, Ginny and Hermione eyed his well-defined torso.

"Oooh", Ginny whispered.

Ron, who was so red in the face that it matched his hair horribly, half-shouted. "Would you two get out of here! Harry's getting dressed! And you, Harry! Hermione and Ginny are still in here. What were you thinking?"

"Oops. Right. Sorry. I totally forgot about it", Harry shrugged.

Ron forced the two women outside Harry's bedroom.

"Aaw. Ron, you're spoiling the show!", Ginny groaned and Hermione nodded in agreement.

"Ginny, as your brother, I don't want you watching my best friend like that! It's—it's—aargh! It's horrible! It's a total nightmare!", he said to his sister.

"Nightmare? Excuse me, we used to date each other! _I'm_ his ex-girlfriend. I didn't hear you complaining much back then! And as if I'm the only one! I don't see you shouting at your fiancée, do I?", Ginny retorted.

"Yeah, about that", Ron said, turning to Hermione.

"Hermione, what was that all about? You are engaged to me! What are you looking at Harry like that for?", he waited for an answer.

"Nothing. Is it wrong to admire someone's perseverance in auror training?", she asked.

"Right. Perseverance in Auror training, like that's the real reason", Ron rolled his eyes.

"Oh come off it, Ron! You're too jealous. I'm marrying _you_, remember? And I'm marrying you _this_ Saturday—that's 6 days from now! You should be able to get a clue as to who's the person I really love by now", Hermione smiled sweetly at Ron.

And as always, he gave up his case all too easily, all because Hermione said something about loving him.

"You really mean that?", Ron asked her with a shy smile.

"Oh come on! Is this really the time? We're gonna be late!!", Ginny snapped at them.

"Well, we're all just waiting for Harry, aren't we?", Ron said.

And as if on cue, the door to Harry's bedroom opened. Draco got out with a huge smile on his face, and he was followed by Harry who was looking exceptionally gorgeous. He was wearing the clothes Draco picked for him, with the shirt's sleeves folded once, and with a black leather belt. On top of his outfit, he put on his auror robes loosely, with his badge pinned to it. It was early in the morning but with the way he wore his robes it had the effect that he just came from work, exhausted yet gorgeous. (It's like those office clothes with the tie worn loosely, that kind of effect)

His hair was a little different too. Of course it was still messy, but to those who know him well, to those who see him everyday, they would know that Harry did something to his hair. True it was still messy, but it looked like it was purposely styled that way. (If you want some references, imagine Harry in the David Beckham hairstyle, when he's not bald of course)

"Whoa! Harry, you look absolutely stunning! Nicely done, Draco!", Ginny complimented them both.

"Thanks, Ginny", Harry said.

"See, I told you I was good!", Draco told everyone.

"Yeah, yeah. Enough already. It's almost 8:30! We're going to be late!", Ron said irritably.

"Everyone ready to apparate?", Hermione checked.

"Good, let's go.", she said after everyone had nodded. And with a blink of an eye, they were all gone.

They emerged a few seconds later, at the apparition area of the Ministry of Magic, a wing leading to its atrium. When they arrived at the said area, they saw that Valerie was waiting for them, along with a couple of girls—a red head and a brunette. They were the two applicants for the secretarial position waiting for Harry.

"Ah, Valerie. Right on time. These are the girls? Draco, come here."

"Yes sir. This is Krystal and this is Lila", she introduced the red head and the brunette respectively.

"Oh. Fancy meeting you here, Krystal, Lila", Draco said in his flirty voice.

"Right. Stop it, Drake. Nice to meet you, Krystal and Lila. I'm Harry Potter and this git here is Draco Malfoy. We're personally gonna screen you for the job. Oh, we better start walking, we're in a hurry, office is this way.", Harry started walking.

"Er, Harry, it's 8:30. Izzy and Marius will be arriving anytime now. We're gonna be late.", Draco reminded him.

"Uhm you know what, why don't you go ahead, I'll just follow, okay?", Harry said gesturing to Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Draco to go ahead.

"Are you sure, Harry?", Hermione asked.

"Yes. Yes. I'll be there right away. You know I wouldn't let this moment pass", Harry give her a wink and resumed his walking.

"Er so where were we—?", he asked as they entered the service lift.

"The screening, sir", Krystal replied. Harry was glad that although these girls kept looking at him admirably, they weren't like the previous ones who were so giggly that they stuttered every time he talked to them.

"Right. Screening. I hope Valerie has told you about the trip to Greece. Did you brief them already, Val?", he asked.

"Uh, yeah. I did. They already know the details", Valerie said.

Harry suddenly stopped. "Well if that's the case, we don't really need to go up now, do we?", he said as he pressed the button of the service lift that would bring them back to the Ministry's atrium.

"I really need to get to the Portkey Station—the international one by 8:30. As you can see, I'm already late. So why don't you all go with me? I'm really sorry for this—I mean, going up and down, and all around the ministry. Why don't I give you a tour while we're at it, huh?", he smiled at them.

Valerie chuckled. She has never seen Harry even try flirting around with girls. This was really a sight for her eyes—a very unusual one at that.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

"Izzy, the portkey's scheduled to leave at 8:30 sharp! What's taking you so long?", Marius shouted from behind the door.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!", Izzy said frantically.

She opened the door, carrying her suitcase. Marius raised his right eyebrow.

"You changed—again?", he said.

"Well…I wasn't really comfortable with the last one", she said shyly.

"And how about the other one, the one you wore for breakfast?"

"It was—it was… well, it was too thin. I realized England must be a lot colder than Greece, you know, because it's way up there.", she smiled awkwardly.

"And the one you were wearing before breakfast?", Marius folded his arms.

"Er—I—I didn't like the color", she grimaced.

"Riiiiiight. I don't recall you being usually uncomfortable with your clothes, or usually finding them too thin, or not liking their color. In fact—you always prepare what you're going to wear for the day the night before, right?", Marius asked her with narrow eyes.

"Uhm—not always!", she said defensively.

"Yeah. Not always. Only when you're excited, like you're excited to see Harry now", Marius smiled knowingly.

"No, I'm not!", Izzy said defensively. And right at that moment, she tripped on her own suitcase sending her butt first on the floor with all her stuff flying out of her hands. She stopped so abruptly as she denied her excitement that her momentum got the better of her. Prior to her shock, she had been sprinting to catch up to the pace of Marius' brisk walking.

Marius laughed so hard that there were tears coming out of his eyes.

"Did you know how self-contradicting that was? It may be the funniest thing I've ever seen you do in weeks!", he said.

"Hey! _That_ was not a self-contradiction! You distracted me with your false accusations!", she said.

"Shush! There's no time for denial now. It's almost 8:30! Is that all you're bringing? Shrink it before we go, will you?", Marius said, still trying hard not to shake from laughter, as they walked towards the parlor where their portkey was. It was a piece of sock.

"A sock, Marius?", it was Izzy's turn to laugh.

"Yeah, why? What's wrong with a sock?", he asked.

"Who owned that sock? Do you know?"

"Er—no. But it's newly washed! So it's clean! Stop being so squirmy", Marius said.

"I wasn't. It's just really funny. A sock—of all things!", Izzy said, just as the sock glowed bright blue signaling the portkey's activation.

"Izzy! Hand! Hurry!", Marius said.

Izzy put a finger on the sock just in time. She felt a pull at her navel, making her aware that they were finally leaving Greece.

In a matter of seconds, they landed in England—at the Ministry of Magic's International Portkey Station. She was still floating in midair when she spotted the group of people waiting for her and Marius. Her heart jumped in its place. She saw Ron and Hermione—holding hands, Ginny waving at them, and Draco tapping his foot and looking at his watch impatiently. There was no sign of Harry. For a split second, she felt disappointment. But she quickly shrugged that off by reminding herself that she was there to attend Ron and Hermione's wedding, and not to run after Harry. She let herself down with a graceful landing on the port. Some people who had just arrived with her and landed on their butts, looked at her with jaws dropped—as if what she had just accomplished was impossible.

But Izzy didn't notice the way those people were amazed by the way she landed. She was currently scanning the other crowd—the crowd waiting for those who were arriving. She was looking for any sign of a tall man with messy jet black hair, emerald green eyes and a lightning bolt—shaped scar on his forehead. Beside Izzy, Marius squeezed her hand tightly.

"Izzy. Stop it. You're being obvious.", he whispered.

Izzy immediately stopped tiptoeing, and cleared her throat due to embarrassment at being caught.

"Hi everyone!", she said loudly.

"Izzy! Marius! We've missed you both! Wow! Look at you! Did you get taller, Iz?", Ginny asked.

"Er, I don't think so… well, maybe an inch or something. It's nice to see you again, Gin!", she wasn't really that close to Ginny, so she turned to the others.

"Ron, Hermione! Wow! I'm so excited for the wedding! I always knew you were gonna end up with each other—with the way you fight!", hugged Hermione, who was her closest female friend.

"Uhm, Draco! Hi! I've missed you so much!", she said awkwardly. She knew Draco was still mad about her pretending not to remember Harry. She hoped so hard that Draco didn't tell any of their friends yet.

"Hi Izzy! I've missed you too!", Draco gave her a hug and whispered in her ear, "Don't worry Iz, I didn't tell anyone, especially Harry." Izzy sighed with relief and whispered back her thanks.

Draco broke the hug and looked at her closely. "Izzy, there's something—oh! Your eyes!", Draco noticed.

"Yeah, I've noticed that as well! Did you get some contact lenses, Iz? I never knew you'd like using those, I mean, they don't usually wear that in the wizarding world, right?", Hermione asked her.

"Oh.. what? Er no, Hermione, I didn't put anything on. These are my eyes—my own eyes. They changed color when I turned 17. Cool, huh?", she said.

"Really? But why? That's odd", Ginny said.

"Oh but a lot of things happen when people become 17, right?", Ron said.

"Yeah, a lot.", Marius suddenly spoke. Everyone turned to look at him.

"What, you've forgotten I was here too, haven't you?", he chuckled.

"Marius! We missed you too!", Hermione said.

"Yeah, we really did—all of us!", Ron said.

"Hey you, congratulations! Finally got her to say yes, huh?", he teased Ron.

"Hey, what does that mean? I didn't have trouble getting her to say yes in the first place!", Ron said defensively but he joined Marius in his laughter a few seconds later.

"Heard Harry's gonna throw you a wicked bachelor's party. I'm pretty excited for that!"

"How wicked is wicked?", Hermione narrowed her eyes.

"Shush, Hermione. Let them enjoy themselves for one night. They're all old enough, anyway!", Ginny told her friend off.

"Speaking of Harry, where is Harry?", Marius asked. He felt Izzy stiffen beside him.

"Oh, he was with us a while ago—you know, he's supposed to be with us now. But something came up and he went up to our office. But he said he'd follow. He probably chickened out, though", Draco said, looking at Izzy meaningfully.

She was disappointed. Really really disappointed.

_Stop it Izzy. It's not like he has any reason to be here now, waiting for you. You've robbed him of every reason to still be caring about you, remember? You did that by pretending he doesn't even exist!_, a harsh voice in her head rang.

"Oh am I late? Oops. Sorry! I'm here now though!", a voice hollered from the entrance of the Portkey Station. Izzy knew that voice very well, even if she hasn't heard it for several years now. It was Harry's voice. Almost immediately, Izzy's head shot back up as she followed the direction of the voice, scanning the crowd for its owner.

And there he was. Looking like he never did before—absolutely stunning, absolutely flawless. His hair was stylishly messy, and he was wearing auror robes—ones she had only seen on Kingsley before. He was wearing them rather loosely, revealing what he was wearing underneath—a white button up shirt, and dark torn denim jeans. If it weren't only improper, Izzy would remark how delicious he was currently looking.

If this was a scene in a romantic movie, it would have been played with romantic music and in slow motion, only to be interrupted by what came next. Behind the famous Harry Potter, were two girls faithfully following him—a red head and a brunette. Izzy resisted the urge to raise her eyebrows.

_Why did Harry have two girls following him? Who were they, his cheerleaders or muses perhaps? And really! Harry's taste hasn't changed a bit! A redhead and a brunette—like Ginny and Cho! And they're laughing—laughing with Harry!_, Izzy's thoughts played on her mind.

"There you are! What took you so long?", Draco said impatiently.

"Nothing, actually. We came up only to realize that we didn't really need to, so we got back down. Uh oh, the mad man's not in the mood, is he?", Harry joked and the two girls laughed.

Izzy rolled her eyes. It was only Hermione who caught her doing this.

"Harry, Harry! It's great to finally see you again!", Marius said, approaching the man who had just arrived.

"Marius! Look at you! You look so formal! Is that what being a politician does to you? 'Cause if it is, I never want to be a politician!", he said.

"Oh shush. You never wanted to be a politician and I have no reason to believe that you changed your mind in a span of four years.", Marius replied.

"That, you got right!", Harry smiled.

"So, why don't we go back the the atrium? The next batch of people will be arriving soon. We don't want to get lost in that crowd, do we?", Harry said as he motioned towards the door. This surprised everyone. He welcomed Marius back, greeted him, and then went for the door. It was as if Izzy wasn't there at all.

"Erm, Harry aren't you forgetting something?", Ron asked.

"Huh? What?"

"Uhm, Izzy, maybe?", it was Ginny who answered.

"Oh, right! Izzy! Hi! Sorry, I totally _forgot all about you_. Oops.", Harry chuckled. Izzy looked speechless. Everyone else were looking at one another with awkward expressions, or puzzled ones. They didn't know what act Harry was trying to pull but all of them were certain that it was impossible for him to forget about Izzy.

Izzy's own eyes widened at his words. It seemed as if Harry knew all about her little pretending act. She swallowed hard.

_But that's not possible, is it? I mean, Draco said he didn't tell anyone. Unless…Draco lied. But, no! If Harry knew he wouldn't be like this, right? He'd be mad and probably won't go here to meet us in the first place. Yeah. He doesn't know, Izzy. Stop being so paranoid!, _she told herself.

"Anyway, welcome back", Harry grimaced at her and then turned to everyone else.

"Atrium, people? Before it gets too crowded in here?", he asked, and without waiting for their reply, turned on his heels and headed for the Ministry's atrium.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

A/N: Uh oh! Harry is giving Izzy the cold shoulder! He's doing the playing-hard-to-get technique to make her realize her own mistake. But it won't last long! He's gonna change tactics soon, and the whole Weasley family and all of their friends are on his side!! They're gonna make Izzy regret her decision at the end of the first story! But will that be enough? How about the royal marriage law, eh? Watcha think? ;p Coming up... the whole Weasley family backs Harry up in his plans. Izzy won't know what hit her!! It'll be a whole week of awkward situations, stolen glances, grand scheming and planning and most of all, of admitting to herself that she still loves Harry ;p


	8. Partners In Crime

Disclaimer: I'm not as good as JK Rowling, that's why I could never claim her brilliant characters. I have my own set of characters though, and my aim is to make them as interesting and as entertaining as hers.

**Chapter 8: Partners in Crime**

"You know, everybody knew that those two were going to end up together. Being their best friend for what?—uhm—ten years now, I tell you, you'd be lucky to have a day when those two didn't argue. It's like arguing is their bread and butter, you know?", Harry told the girls.

Izzy was eyeing them conspicuously.

"Really? Wow, that's amazing!", Krystal said.

"But if they argue everyday, how come they're getting married? I can only imagine their married life, and it certainly looks stressful to me", Lila added.

"Oh well, they say that's the key. They'll never get bored with all the things they keep fighting about. People say fighting is healthy for a relationship. So if I were you, when you spot someone you really like, don't flirt, fight with him, eh?", Harry joked.

The girls chuckled. "You really think that will work?", they asked him.

Izzy rolled her eyes. "Hmph! Geez!", she said quietly but Marius heard her. He was trying hard not to laugh. The result was hilarious. His restrained laughter went out in coughs.

"Marius, are you alright?", Hermione asked him.

"Oh I'm fine. Just got something in my throat.", he replied.

"What's so funny?", Izzy whispered.

"You, Iz! You're what's funny!", he whispered back.

"Oh, Valerie, there you are!", Harry called.

_Another girl?!,_ Izzy thought.

"I was wondering where you've been! Here, take these two, okay? Let them know what it takes to be like you!", he said, turning to Krystal and Lila.

"Yes sir. I'll make sure they're ready. See you May first?", Valerie asked.

"Yes, yes, see you on May first, ladies! Draco, they're leaving!", Harry said.

"Oh, right. Erm—See you May first, girls. Looking forward to it. I'll be sure to brief you next time", Draco said with a wink, which made Krystal and Lila giggle, and Valerie roll her eyes. After saying goodbye, the three girls walked away, probably back to the office.

"Er—SO!! Where are you guys staying?", Draco asked Marius and Izzy very loudly, to break the awkward silence that was present.

"Er—we haven't figured that out yet. But most probably we'll be staying at the hotel where the reception will be held.", Marius answered.

"Are you kidding? You're not staying there! You can stay at the Burrow if you like! But—yeah—if you prefer staying at the hotel—I guess—it's—", said Ron.

"Will that be okay? I mean, won't the Burrow be filled with people, with the wedding and all?", Izzy asked.

"Of course not. It's perfectly fine! In fact, we insist on taking you in", Ginny smiled at them.

"Well, if it's okay, then I guess that would be nice. But are you sure it won't be too crowded?", Izzy asked.

"No, of course not! You haven't been here for so long! That's why you're still wondering, aren't you? Bill and Fleur of course, have their own house now. Same thing goes for Percy—he's married to Audrey you see. Oh, but you wouldn't know him, would you? You've never met Percy, right? You will now! Erm—who else? Oh. Charlie's still single and he'd be home this week for the wedding. George—well he's still there, and of course Ron and I will be there too. But basically we can accommodate both of you—with Bill and Percy out.", she beamed at them.

"How about Harry? Where's he staying these days?", Marius asked.

"Oh, Harry has his own flat. Dunno why he bothered buying one though. He's got tons of houses—Grimauld Place, and the Potter manors too.", Ron said.

"Try living in a huge house all by yourself, Ron. Let's see how long you'll last!", he told his best friend.

Ron moved backwards defensively. "Alright alright. Cool it down, Harry. I was just kidding!", he held his hands up.

"So, Izzy, Marius, why don't I bring you to the Burrow now? I bet you're exhausted and are dying to do some catching up, eh?", Ginny suggested.

"Why, sure, Gin! That'd be great!", Izzy said, thankful for the instant excuse to get away from Harry. It was too awkward already.

"Hey, who's coming with us?", Ginny asked.

"Er—sorry Gin, unlike you, we didn't take the day off", Hermione said.

"What, you mean you're still working this week?", Izzy was surprised.

"What do you expect, _that's_ Hermione you're talking too, after all", Ginny rolled her eyes.

Marius chuckled. "I see, you haven't changed a bit, Ms. Granger!", he said in his 'Professor Athanas' voice.

"Oh I've missed that! It's been ages since you've been our professor!", Hermione giggled.

"Anyway, I'll be bringing these two to the Burrow now. Would you prefer to floo to the Burrow or Apparate there?", Ginny asked.

"I'd apparate anytime it's feasible. I hate the floo!", Izzy said, which made Harry shift in his spot uncomfortably. It was one of the many things they both shared—hating to travel by floo.

"Okay then, let's go!", Ginny said.

"Bye everyone!", Izzy, Marius and Ginny said simultaneously.

"See you tonight! There'll be a dinner party to welcome you", Ron winked.

"Ah. I should've expected it. It's your mum's idea, right?", Marius smiled knowingly.

"Of course. Who else will arrange something like that?", Ron muttered.

"Okay then, see you tonight!", they said as they headed for the apparition area.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

Ginny, Marius and Izzy may have left, but for those who remained at the Ministry of Magic, the conversation was far from over. Immediately after Izzy and the others left, Draco grabbed Harry by his robes and dragged him to the service lifts.

"Draco!! Stop it!", Harry said, but he did nothing to stop Draco himself.

"Ron, Hermione, come with us. We need to talk, NOW", Draco said seriously. Ron and Hermione followed.

When they got into the lift, and off their office floor, and finally into their office, Draco pushed Harry to a chair.

"Sit! And explain!", Draco commanded.

"What? What's there to explain?", he asked.

"I dunno why Draco's so mad but—even we know what you need to explain. Don't tell me you think we bought that _I forgot all about you_ crap. We didn't Harry, that's just rubbish!", Ron shrugged.

"Er—well, it worked didn't it? Did you see the look on her face?", Harry smiled mischievously.

"So that's part of the plan, isn't it? And to think you were wasting our time changing clothes almost every minute this morning! I thought you were excited about seeing her again? Then all of a sudden you pretend like you don't care about her at all?", Draco asked.

"Mmm hmm", he smirked.

"Wait, I don't get it. You mean to say you were being cruel on purpose? How could you do that to Izzy? It's not like she asked for it! You practically shoved on her face that she forgot all about you by doing the same to her! She didn't ask to be abducted and have her memories of you erased!", Hermione frowned.

"Ah. I forgot. You still don't know!", Harry said.

"Don't know what?", Ron asked.

"Draco, you tell them", Harry elbowed his partner.

"Why me?"

"Oh fine. You see, Izzy's evil. She didn't forget. She never did. She's been pretending all this time", Harry said.

"No way!", Ron said.

"Yes way! Didn't you see the look on her face when Harry didn't seem to care? She was disappointed. That's because she never forgot. And she still has feelings for him. You see, Izzy's not a good actress. If you look at her eyes, you'd see how she really felt.", Draco said.

"Oh. So that's why she was eyeing Harry and the secretaries. She looked ready to kill.", Hermione realized.

"Yea—what?? What did you just say??", Harry grabbed Hermione all of a sudden.

"S—she was eyeing you with—those girls", she said slowly shocked with the way Harry was grasping her.

"Really?? Really, really, really? You aren't kidding?", Harry asked excitedly.

"I'm not kidding!", Hermione said.

"Yes!", Harry made a hand gesture of triumph and he kissed Hermione in both cheeks.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!", Harry continued.

"Hey, that's my fiancée you just kissed!", Ron said.

"Sorry, I'm just so happy!", Harry said.

"So we noticed", Draco chuckled.

"Whew! So it actually worked! She did get jealous. Right, now I can proceed with the plan", Harry can't stop smiling.

"What plan?"

"The Bellavich-de Lune case—we got it. He's going to win her back", Draco replied.

"Oooh! That's perfect!!", Hermione said.

"Brilliant, mate! But I still can't believe that she's just pretending after all these years! How did you know about it anyway?", Ron asked.

"She told me—for some reason, I don't really know why", Draco answered.

"Yeah, and I overheard them talking through the floo. Oh, but don't let her be aware that I know all about it. I want to be the one to tell her. Can I count on you?", he asked.

"Of course you can! You can count on us to be with you in your plans! Come to think of it, you can tell my family and I'm sure they'll be happy to help you! Merlin knows, George needs a break. He's stopped all his pranks and mischievous plans ever since—you know, ever since Fred died", Ron said.

"Right, I'll think about it. Maybe he can teach me a thing or two. Thanks, Ron, Hermione", he said.

"Oh don't thank us just yet. Thank us later when you've finally snagged Izzy", Hermione smiled.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

"So you're staying here Marius, and you, Izzy, you'll be in Percy's room. I'll give you time to settle in, alright? I'll just help mum in the kitchen.", Ginny told them.

"Okay. We'll be right downstairs too. I miss helping out in your kitchen! As soon as we finish unpacking, we'll go down to help, alright?", Izzy said.

When Ginny closed the door shut to Bill's bedroom where they were currently in, Izzy collapsed on the bed and sighed heavily.

"Aargh. I don't believe it!! Why, why why why!! Oh I hate him so much!!", she started punching the pillows.

"Hey, those are my pillows, you know", Marius crossed his arms.

"I don't care about your pillows! Did you see how he reacted earlier? Merlin! Oh Merlin! Like he doesn't know me! He totally forgot all about me! Aaaargh! And those girls! Did you see? Oh God help me! And the way he was looking so gorgeous didn't help either!", Izzy complained.

Marius chuckled. "I dunno why you're complaining. You're the one who wanted this, right? You wanted to be away from him, you wanted him not to care, you wanted not to care so you pretended to forget him. And what's really funny is—he does the same thing to you, by ignoring you totally and you can't stand a even a few minutes of it. Think about it Izzy, he's been through what you're experiencing now for 4 years!", Marius shook his head.

This earned him a flying pillow sent his way. It hit him on the forehead.

"What, you trading jam spreaders for pillows now? Getting soft, are you?", he joked.

"Argh. Stop it Marius. It's not funny. I know I was wrong, okay? But there's no use trying to correct it now! I'm just gonna have to attend the wedding, and go home like nothing happened. Don't remind me of what I've done! It's not like I can change it anyway", she snapped.

"Oh but you can! Why don't you tell him the truth?"

"And what, he'll be mad at me forever?"

"Like that's any different from what he showed you earlier"

"It is different! At least now he's not mad, he's just stoic!"

Marius snorted. "You should hear yourself talk. It seems you have lost it. Greece won't believe that it's you talking. They're used to the lady-like and poised princess and here you are—ranting like a mad woman! Couldn't have been more cluttered", he laughed.

Izzy covered her face with a pillow and groaned.

"Ah Izzy, it's okay. What do you expect? You pretended to forget about him, right? You didn't think he'll wait until you _gain back your memories_, did you? He himself knows that that might take forever. Of course he moved on!", Marius explained.

"Yeah, I know. And I understand him perfectly. That's what any practical man would do. I don't really blame—I just don't know why I'm feeling this way. It's just—it's—well, I just couldn't get over the fact that he's really moved on. I mean if you told me this a week ago, I'd be fine by now, maybe. But learning it and seeing it for the very first time, it really hit me hard. I had to see it with my own two eyes! And I hate myself for being affected!", she sighed.

Izzy could have said a lot more complaints but someone was currently knocking at their door, cutting Izzy's ranting short.

"Come in!", Marius said.

The door opened, and Charlie came in. "Marius! Hey! Haven't seen you for a while! Good to have you back. Pity it'll only be for about a week, eh?", he greeted Marius, who was his co-member in the Order of the Phoenix.

"Ah, there's the pretty lady! IZZY!!", he ran to her and gave her a hug.

"Charlie! Oh, I've missed you!", she said.

Charlie raised his eyebrows. "So you remember me, huh? I guess what they're saying is true. You only forgot about Harry, hmm?", he asked, but cautiously.

"Er… something like that", she said. But unknown to her, Charlie already knew that she was just pretending. Harry told him the other day when they crossed paths at the ministry. He wanted at least one person who'll be meeting Marius and Izzy when they arrived at the Burrow, to know about his plans. And Harry chose Charlie.

"Right. My, my, Izzy something's different!", he said with a calculating look on his face as he looked at the woman standing in front of him.

"Uh huh. Can you guess what it is?", she asked.

"Erm—I can't quite capture it—erm—Nah. What is it?"

"My eyes!"

"Oh yeah. They're violet! They weren't violet before, right?", he guessed.

"Mmmm Hmmm"

"Oh, I remember now. They're blue! So what happened?"

"They just changed color when I turned 17. It's one of those turning of age thing", she explained.

"Oh that makes sense. But it's odd. I mean, I've never heard of anyone's eye color changing when they turn 17. But I guess for some people that would be one of the changes when you become of age", he nodded.

"So, you've met everyone already?", he turned to Marius.

"Yeah, we think so. I mean, at the Portkey station, Ron, Hermione, Draco, Ginny and er—Harry were all there. We met Kingsley at the Ministry's atrium as well. And of course we saw you, and your mum here. I guess that leaves Bill and Fleur, and George.", he counted the people they've met.

"Oh, how about Percy and Audrey?"

"Uh… we've never met them. They weren't around last time we were here, remember?"

"Oh, right. That was during the time when Percy was being a huge prat!", Charlie chuckled.

"Mmm. Do you smell that? I wonder what they're cooking? Do you want to go down and help?", Izzy asked them.

"Sure, why not? I want to do something. It's getting pretty tiring to be just sitting around, you know", Marius said.

"Yeah that's a great idea. And anyway, I've missed your cooking, Izzy. Mum's really great but you're just fantastic in the kitchen! I remember those burgers you made for Christmas! Those were just terrific! Why don't you make those again sometime this week, eh?", Charlie requested.

"Sure Charlie! I'd love to!", she smiled at Charlie.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

"So, Harry, mate, tell us, what is this plan we've been hearing about all day long, eh?", George asked him. The heads of everyone around him turned to listen—that is, Bill and Fleur, Charlie, Percy and Audrey, George, Ron & Hermione, Ginny and Marius. Everyone has been filled in by Charlie regarding Harry and Izzy's situation.

"Erm—so you all know that Izzy's been lying for 4 years now, right? That, she really remembers me though she pretends she doesn't?", he asked. All of them nodded.

"Well, it's like this—uhm, she's about to be engaged, because of some royal marriage law. And—well, Marius here, found a way to go around that. I'm gonna have to be the one engaged to her in place of Everard IV, the prince of Croatia. That is, if I can prove myself more deserving to be engaged to her. That's why, I'm giving it my best shot. I'm gonna prove to everyone in Greece that Izzy should be with me, but most of all, I'm gonna show her what a big mistake she's made four years ago. So, are you with me?"

"Definitely!", they all said.

"You know Harry, the fact is, I've been thinking of ways, to best prank her. I've missed doing that kind of stuff, you know. All I get to do now is to invent stuff for the shop. It would be nice to have some hands-on experience again! Consider us your partners in crime!", George winked.

"Where is everyone? Bill! George! Percy! Ron! Ginny! Harry! Marius! Izzy! It's time for dinner!", Mrs. Weasley's voice shouted.

"There she goes again with the roll call!"

"But 'ow come she never een—cludes zee en-laws? Eets always Bill—not Bill and Fleur!", Fleur frowned.

"Oh but you're just one now, right? When she says Bill she means Bill and Fleur, really", Ginny said with a grimace.

When they were all settled in a table at the Burrow's backyard (they just wouldn't fit inside), dinner was served. They all started eating and chatting at the same time, recalling old memories, remarking how much they've missed Izzy's cooking, expressing their excitement for Ron and Hermione's wedding and so on.

Everything was going smoothly until Harry grabbed Izzy's arm. They were seated beside one another—because apparently, everyone else refused to sit beside Harry, so much so that when Izzy got to the dinner table, the only seat left was the one right next to him.

When Harry was about to reach for the Mrs. Weasley's pudding, he deliberately passed it around clumsily so that he would have an excuse to grab Izzy's arm as the dish almost fell to the ground. The effect was hilarious! The contact he made alarmed Izzy so much that it looked as if she were poked with a hot iron rod. She blushed so much that her cheeks were so pink with blood rushing to her head. The Weasleys on the other hand were trying to fight different urges. George snorted out loud, Bill was biting his lip with all his might, Charlie had a stupid grin on his face, Ron was covering his face—but it was no use since he was shaking from silent laughter, and Hermione giggled and hid under the table.

"Oh, sorry, Izzy. T'was a bit clumsy of me, huh?", Harry mumbled.

"Erm—It's okay Harry, not a problem", she mustered all the courage left in her system to turn her head towards Harry and look into his eyes.

It was Harry however, who got the shock of his life. He expected his emerald green eyes to meet blue ones—but they never did. It was violet eyes that pierced through his own. Their faces were so near one another that Izzy caught the expression in Harry's eyes when they widened in surprise.

"Y—your eyes!", Harry said.

"Oh—yeah. They turned violet when I became 17.", she explained.

Harry moved closer and closer, with the intention of examining her eyes more closely. He was about to close the gap between them, with Izzy sporting a look of horror in her face, when Mr. Weasley coughed. Izzy and Harry jumped apart.

Everyone looked at him. Some trying hard not to laugh, others questioning, and the rest furious that he ruined Harry and Izzy's moment. He coughed again.

"Er—SO! Uhm—Ron, Hermione, how are the final wedding arrangements going?", he asked all of a sudden. But he wasn't able to remove the tension in the room, for everyone was still throwing occasional glances at Harry and Izzy, while the two had their heads bowed, refusing to look into each other's eyes again.

Hermione caught up with Mr. Weasley's question, "Oh, it's almost done, really, Mr. Weasley—er—I mean, Dad. We just have to do the fitting of Izzy's gown as my maid of honor, really".

"And, Harry as well—he wasn't present during the fitting of his own suit", Ron added.

"So you'll be fitting together, right?", Ginny added with a sparkle in her eyes.

"And I don't think Harry would mind showing her around town as well", George chipped in a comment.

"There's no need for that. I was here a few years ago. I know very well how the town looks like", Izzy refused.

"Hey, places change! Especially after four years. It's not like you were gone for merely a week, you've been gone for almost half a decade!", Charlie argued.

"You know Charlie's right! Eet 'as been a long time since you were 'ere een Eengland, Eezzy! You better let 'arry take you!", Fleur said.

"Really, Izzy. They're right you know. It would be nice for both of you to go around town and maybe recall some memories you've spent in certain places together", Bill said putting his hand on his wife's shoulder. While Percy and Audrey who just met Izzy today merely nodded.

"Yeah, I think that's a nice idea, Iz. I mean, you really need to recall some of your lost memories. What better way than to recall them with Harry, eh? Unless you're telling me you remember everything and there's no need to recall?", Marius raised his eyebrows. He knows his remark hit the right spot.

Izzy looked shocked, terrified even. Marius was practically hinting that she had never forgotten any of her existing memories. Of course there was no other way but for her to accept their suggestion to go to the dress robes shop with Harry for fitting and then go around town with him. She couldn't believe it. Right then and there, it was as if all of the Weasleys were setting them up.

And so she sighed. "Okay okay. Er—how about tomorrow. Will you be free, Harry? Do you want to go to the dress robes shop for fitting and maybe show me around town?", she looked at Harry one more time. It was only now that she was noticing the look of longing in those emerald eyes—telling her how much he had missed her.

"I'd love to, Izzy, I'd love to.", and then he did something that had always made her knees weak—he smiled at her, a heartwarming, genuine smile.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO **

A/N: Just a little note. Audrey is not mine. She's really Percy's wife as drawn by JK Rowling in the Weasley family tree.


	9. Giggling Girls Making Dresses

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Everything is JK Rowling's. That being said, I know you're excited to see what happens when Harry and Izzy spend the day together, so—here we go!

**Chapter 9: Giggling Girls Making Dresses**

"Oh wow! You're just like what's written in the history books and what's circulating in the rumor mill! Absolutely gorgeous! Oh I feel like I'm the luckiest gay guy alive!", a man wearing a polka dot shirt welcomed Harry and Izzy into the newest dress robes shop in Diagon Alley.

_Oh really? I can easily change that for you, dah-ling, why don't we make you the luckiest gay guy alive now but dead a second later?! Stop flirting with Harry! He's not even gay!, _Izzy stared the man down.

"Oh—", the man's greasy sounding voice dropped. "I didn't notice you have company with you. I heard you were single—are the rumors untrue then?", he frowned.

"Ah—er—no. That's right—I am single. No girlfriend, and not dating anyone. This is Izzy—she's the maid of honor for the wedding", Harry introduced her.

"Oh. Wonderful to meet you Ms.—?"

"Ysovielle Monique Victoriae Aravielle de Lune, princess of wizarding Greece", she said haughtily—a thing she would never ever do in normal circumstances. She didn't really know why, but she had this tendency to brag about her status when someone was threatening to toy with her _property._ Harry wasn't _her property_ but she couldn't help it. He was one of the few people Izzy feels so possessive about. No one flirts with Harry—her Harry.

"Oh, Madame de Lune! A pleasure to meet you. I assume you're here for your fitting as well? Could you wait here for a second? I'll just be retrieving your attires for the wedding", the gay man suddenly became so formal.

Harry had this amused look on his face which made Izzy want to roll her eyes so badly. She stopped herself just in time when she remembered that she wasn't supposed to show signs that she remembers moments they have spent together. But Harry didn't stop smiling amusedly. He didn't miss the part where Izzy intentionally said her whole name and title—something almost nobody has ever heard her do. He also didn't miss the fact that she did this because of her possessiveness. Harry was pleased—very pleased indeed.

"Ahem. Your dress robes Madam de Lune! And of course, Mr. Potter!", the man returned with two sets of dress robes he handed to them.

"Thank you", they said.

"Er—would you like help with that, Mr. Potter? Shall I help you in getting into your dress robes?", he said with an excited tone.

Izzy's eyebrows raised.

"Anton, that's enough flirting! You're scaring the man!", a voice from behind them said.

"Uh huh. She's right you know. And of course you know that's bad for the business!", another voice agreed.

Harry, Izzy and Anton—the gay man flirting with Harry, all turned around to see the women who owned those voices. To Izzy's surprise (and only to Izzy, because Anton and Harry already knew about this), it was Parvati and Lavender.

"Oh my goodness! Parvati! Lavender! Is that really you? What are you doing here? Is this—do you own this place?", she asked her two friends.

"You got that right, girl! And not just own—we design these clothes too!", Parvati told her proudly.

"Wow! I'm speechless! These creations are just magnificent! I mean, this dress? Are you kidding me? You designed this?", Izzy was happy for her friends.

"Of course we did! You know us, we love fashion just as much as I love Seamus and Parvati loves Blaise! But really, I'm surprised you haven't figured that out yet. P&L Wizarding Fashion? Our brand name is a total giveaway. You should have at least guessed!", Lavender said.

"Hey—there can be many meanings for P&L, you know. Anyway—so tell me, you're still with Seamus and Parvati, you're still with Blaise? That's wonderful!", she said.

"Of course we are! Almost everyone who were together at Hogwarts during the final years are still together! Me and Blaise, Lav and Seamus, Ernie and Padma, Neville and Hannah, and now Ron and Hermione are getting married! I'm worried they'll be setting the trend! Really, it's only you guys who didn't make it.", Parvati said.

"Yeah, come to think of it, you guys are the only ones who broke it off. But you're together now aren't you? Is that why you postponed your fitting Harry? Were you waiting for Izzy? Are you a couple again? Because if you really are—well I couldn't find any other couple who deserves to get back together!", Lavender smiled at them.

In an instant, Izzy blushed.

"Er—no, Lavender—we're—we aren't as you say 'back together'. Izzy just came back and it so happened that I haven't finished fitting yet, so I accompanied her. We're just here as friends", Harry said.

"Oh. As friends.", Parvati smirked.

"If you say so! Well, Harry, why don't you put those dress robes on so we can see how well they fit, hmm? We'll just chat with Izzy here while you're dressing up", Lavender suggested and showed Harry the direction to the fitting room.

"So Izzy", Lavender started as soon as Harry was out of earshot. "I know he said you're just here as friends, but I'm certain as Merlin that your facial expressions and that look on your eyes don't indicate anything purely friendly. Would you care to explain that?"

"What? Hey, it's not my problem you're too malicious. There's nothing wrong about the way I look at him", she replied defensively.

"Oh yeah?", Parvati called from behind them. "And what about that—_Ysovielle Monica Victoria de Lune, princess of Greece_ introduction? Hmm? You never introduce yourself that way—you hate being called like that! So, why are you, all of a sudden feeling so possessive of the man-who-conquered? Feeling threatened by a 30 year old gay and balding man?", she teased her.

"First of all, it's Ysovielle Monique Victoriae Aravielle de Lune. And secondly, for your information, I was merely showing him his place! He was flirting with Harry, for Merlin's sake!", she argued.

"And what do you think of Harry, a little helpless homophobic boy who can't handle some gay flirting that he needs a little 'showing-him-his-place' help? He's the man-who-conquered, Izzy! He struck a sword straight into you-know-who's rotting heart!", Lavender rolled her eyes.

"Just stop denying it, Iz! We're your friends! We might not be as close to you as Hermione, Draco or Marius is, but we lived with you for a whole year! If anyone else, other than them, knows exactly how you're feeling right now, it's us!", Parvati said.

"Oh I give up. It seems like whatever I try to tell to prove my point, there's just no resting-of-the-case for you two!", she sighed.

Just then, Harry came out of the fitting room wearing his dress robes—a smart black tuxedo looking so crisp and elegant on him.

"Wow, Harry, looking good, eh?", Lavender said and then she shot Izzy a knowing glance upon seeing her with her jaws dropped.

"No. Not really. Not quite. It's a little baggy around here", Harry said, commenting on something he didn't like about his dress robes.

"Really? Let me fix that alright? I'll just get the things we need. Now Izzy, why don't you fit yours so we can see if it's fine?", Lavender said. And it was Izzy's turn to go into the fitting room.

When Lavender came back, she had with her a box full of sewing materials (wizarding ones). In an instant, magical measuring tapes and pins started working all around Harry, startling him.

"Whoa. These things are pretty frightening! They're so—"

What those things exactly were, they never knew, for at that moment Izzy came out wearing her dress robes. It was a pale yellow, almost gold (it's the motif) dress made out of soft and flowy material. It was a very simple tube dress, with only a few rhinestones scattered here and there. It worked really well with her platinum blonde hair. She looked absolutely radiant that Harry was breathless.

"OUCH!!", Harry suddenly shouted.

Everyone turned away from Izzy and looked at Harry.

"What was that?"

"It's these stupid pins! They poked me! All of them—at the same time!", Harry complained and scratched everywhere.

"Oh.", Parvati smiled knowingly. "You know Harry, those pins only do that if you're not staying still, or if you're not paying attention due to some _distraction_".

"Uh huh. Why though, Harry? It seems to me that you were perfectly still a few seconds ago. In fact, it looked as if you couldn't even breathe. Were you distracted by a young lady wearing yellow?", Lavender smirked teasingly seeing that Harry couldn't find the proper reply to his question and that Izzy was blushing so hard that she was hiding her face from view.

And to everyone's surprise, Harry replied, "Yeah, I actually was. Who wouldn't be distracted by _that_ sight? That may be the most beautiful thing I've ever laid eyes on.", he smiled sincerely.

And Izzy just didn't know what to do. It felt as if there were butterflies in her stomach and as if her knees would give way from weakness any minute now.

_Why? Why does he still have that effect on me? Stupid stupid stupid Izzy!_, she cursed herself helplessly.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

"So that's it, Izzy! I guess you're done! We'll have your dress delivered right after we make the adjustments you asked for", Lavender told her.

"Okay, thanks Lav! Hey, have you seen Harry?", she asked her friends.

"Uh I think he went outside for a sec. But he said something like being back right away. Oh, there he is!", Parvati pointed at the window where Harry can be seen from inside the shop.

"Good. I'll be going then, alright? I'll be seeing you both at Hermione's bridal shower?"

"Of course! Wouldn't miss it for the world!"

"Great! I really missed you two! We'll do more of the catching up on that night, okay? See you!", she said as she left the shop to meet Harry.

Outside the shop, Harry was holding two enormous ice cream cones. He handed one to Izzy.

"Got this at Florean Fortescue's. Take a bite! You're going to flip out once you taste it!", he said.

Izzy took the cone and noticed that the ice cream was pure white—it was plain and not at all inviting.

"Er—what flavor—?"

"Just taste it! It's meant to be a surprise—that's why it doesn't have color!"

She was about to lick the ice cream with the tip of her tongue when Harry stopped her.

"No. Not like that. Take a bite! Don't lick! It'll make the surprise even better. Do you trust me or not?", Harry asked challengingly.

And she did as he asked her too—she sunk her teeth into the cold but smooth surface of the unknown ice cream, feeling a chunk of fruit and a gush of its juice against her teeth. It was delightful and heavenly—Harry picked a strawberry flavored ice cream for her.

"Mmmm! Strawberries! With real juicy strawberry! Wow!! How come they don't have these in Greece?", Izzy said, enjoying her ice cream.

"Told you you'd like it!", Harry asked.

"Thank you. You really do know me well", Izzy remarked. This was followed by a very pregnant and awkward pause.

"I guess I really do", Harry said finally, after about a couple of minutes.

"_Oh my god! Is that Harry Potter?"_

"_Who's that girl he's with?"_

"_Isn't that some country's princess?"_

"_Oh yeah! That's Ysovielle de Lune—the Greek princess remember?"_

"_What are they doing together? Wait, isn't she Potter's ex? The one everyone thought was murdered by you-know-who?"_

"_Are they together again?"_

They only had about 10 glorious minutes that was entirely theirs. Soon enough, the crowd at Diagon Alley had started noticing their presence. And of course, being very popular icons, everyone was bound to take notice, even the press.

At first Harry and Izzy were just pretending to ignore the whispers of the people around them. It was only natural, and besides, they were used to such treatment at Hogwarts. But then they drew the line when cameras started flashing their way, indicating that the press was already following their every move.

"Is that the press?", Izzy asked.

"I think so. Oh no, I see reporters. Quick, let's run!", Harry said suddenly grabbing Izzy by the arm.

"_Mr. Potter—are you and Ms. de Lune dating? Will you be traveling to Greece next month to run after her? Do you think you have what it takes to outrun Everard of Croatia in the race to Ms. de Lune's heart?"_

"_Ms. de Lune, how about your upcoming engagement? Aren't you supposed to be betrothed to Everard IV of Croatia? Does this mean you're marrying the man-who-conquered instead?"_

The two most popular man and woman of the wizarding world tried to ignore the questions the reporters were asking them as they run for cover.

It wasn't until they reached a fork in the road that they lost the reporters who were running after them.

Izzy was panting, clutching her side as it throbbed in pain after a long and quick run. Harry started laughing like a maniac.

"That—w—was fun,—wasn't it? I can—s—still feel—the adrenaline rush!", Harry said in between laughs.

Izzy put her hand up to fix her hair. It was only then that she noticed Harry was holding her hand. They've been holding hands during the entire time that they were running away from the press.

"Oh. Sorry about that. There you go", Harry said.

It was Izzy's turn to laugh.

"This has to be the craziest and the most exciting thing that happened to me this year", she giggled.

_You mean the craziest and most exciting thing that has already happened to you this year. Just wait Izzy, there'll be more crazy and exciting things coming your way, _Harry smirked inwardly.

"HARRY?", a voice behind them called. It was Dennis Creevey—Colin Creevey's younger brother.

"Oh! Dennis it's just you! You scared me! You see, we were running from the press", Harry explained.

"Ah, is that so? Well I've been looking all over Diagon Alley for you. I came to Parvati and Lavender's and they told me you just left."

"Oh so you went looking for us there? Why?"

"What do you mean us—oh! I'm sorry, I didn't know you had company. Hi I'm Dennis Creevey. Are you Harry's girlfriend?", he asked Izzy.

"No! No! I'm not. It's funny how too many people have asked me that today. But I am not—his girlfriend. I'm Izzy", she replied.

"Dennis, don't you remember Izzy? Izzy de Lune? I know she's all grown up an curvy now but—", at this comment, Izzy punched Harry in the arm.

"Ouch! Anyway, I know she's all grown up and curvy, and her hair's wavy and her eyes are violet—but really—she's the same straight haired, blue-eyed and thin girl who was the transfer student of Hogwarts a few years ago", Harry smirked and Izzy rolled her eyes. He was trying to make her more comfortable with him and he was glad that it was working.

"Oh! Izzy! Yeah, I remember now. Oh dear—well in that case it's really lucky that I found you with Harry today. You see the reason I was looking for him was the opening of my brother's gallery."

"Colin has a gallery?", Izzy was surpised.

"Yeah, about a year after his body was found in the rubble at Hogwarts, we retrieved the best pictures he ever took. I know you'll never forget the way he obsessed about photography. And anyway, after picking the best ones, my father and I decided to open a gallery in his memory, with his works of course. It took us two whole years before we were finally finished with the paper work and the actual setting up—and now it's done! We're about to open this week and I—we wanted Harry to be the one to cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony. I know Colin would like that", he said.

"Oh. Of course, Dennis. I would love to be the one to cut the ribbon. Colin was one of the bravest fighters on the scene during the night of the final battle, and he was a good friend too. One of the original members of the DA.", Harry smiled proudly as he recalled his friend lost in the war.

"Thank you Harry. This means so much to us—and to Colin too, I'm sure. A—and Ms. Izzy? I would like you to be there too—it would be nice if you could cut the ribbon as well, with Harry", he turned to Izzy.

"M—me? B—but I only knew Colin for one year! A—and I really think it should be Harry, I mean, Colin has always looked up to him. Why me?", she was confused.

"Oh well—you see both of you were in a lot of the best pictures Colin has ever taken. In fact, it wouldn't be surprising if his gallery would be famous for both of your pictures. Although I never knew you personally, I believe my brother admires both of you and, to be frank, wants you to end up together. You'll see what I mean when you step into the gallery.", Dennis tried explaining but couldn't find the proper words to get his message across.

"Er—alright, I guess. I'll be there. And I'd be honored to cut the ribbon with Harry", she complied. She cannot possibly say no to Dennis who was looking so expectant and so desperate at the same time. It gave her satisfaction to see that she had made Dennis' day. It was the least she can do for Colin Creevey's brother.

"_Over there! There they are!", _someone shouted from a distance. '

"Uh oh. The reporters!", Harry said as his eyes widened.

"We're so sorry Dennis, but we really really have to go!", Izzy said in a hurry. This time around it was her who caught Harry's hand and grasped it tightly.

"It's okay! I'll just see you on the gallery's opening! Thanks again! Have fun running away from the reporters!", Dennis shouted as they started running. He even gave Harry a little wink when he saw that Harry was smiling stupidly after Izzy took his hand and pulled him to run.


	10. Colin's Surprise

Disclaimer: I own nothing! It's all JK Rowling's! And I'm dying of envy! Nah. I'm not. Izzy's a really great character in my opinion and I'm happy to say that she's mine!

A/N: Just a small note. I refuse to have Hedwig dead in my story. So in my version of things, she didn't die.

**Chapter 10: Colin's Surprise **

"Izzy? Are you up?", Ginny asked through Izzy's bedroom door (which is actually Percy's former room's door).

"Yeah I am. Come in Ginny!", she replied.

When Ginny entered the room she found that Izzy wasn't just up, she was already preparing for the opening ceremony of Colin Creevey's gallery. She was already dressed—in a simple lavender dress that brought out the new color of her eyes. It was very modest at the top—having puffy sleeves, but very revealing at the bottom—the skirt reaching way above her knees, exposing her slender and tanned legs.

"Wow. You prepared early! That's good news, too. This just came in.", Ginny said, handing her a letter.

"I also have a similar letter from Dennis. He says if we can manage, we should try going a bit earlier. The press has received news of the ribbon cutters—you and Harry, and well, they're expecting reporters to arrive unannounced this evening. So—I think it's best if we go there in about 30 minutes. Is that okay?", she asked.

"That's fine by me since I prepared earlier than usual. How about the others though, will they be alright with that?", she asked.

"Yeah I think so. If not, they'll just have to follow. Anyway, I forgot to tell you, we have to stop by Harry's place on the way to the gallery."

"H—Harry's place? Why?"

"Oh you see, Dennis sent in this portkey, so we won't have trouble on the way, just in case. And it's the only one he sent, I'm afraid. So we have to make sure Harry uses the same portkey—that's why we're going to his place", Ginny explained with a smirk.

"Oh. Okay", Izzy complied.

"I'll just go check in on everyone else and see if they're ready, alright?", Ginny said just before leaving the room.

When Ginny came back to Izzy, she was surprised to find that Ginny was alone.

"Where are all the others?", Izzy asked.

"I'm afraid it's only us. Ron and Hermione begged off—which is totally understandable because of the wedding. George can't make it as well—it so happened that today is Verity's day off and there's no other person to man the shop. But don't worry Iz, Marius will said he'll be there, only a little later than us. He has to drop by the ministry and meet Kingsley for some top secret business Merlin knows what.", Ginny explained.

"Oh. I see. Well, if that's the case, I guess we're complete?! You, and me!", Izzy chuckled.

"Yeah. We are, so we better get going. Shall we?", Ginny asked.

"Er—how exactly are we going to get there?", she asked. She hated to floo from one place to another, usually preferring to travel by apparition. But the problem was she didn't know where exactly Harry's flat was located. And so she couldn't possibly apparate to that location.

"Well, you don't know where the place is, and I don't have a portkey with me—so, um, I'm sorry Iz, I know you hate flooing but it's the only option left", Ginny told her apologetically.

She sighed. "It's alright. It's not like we have any other choice", she smiled despite hating the floo.

"Okay, just shout 'Harry's place'. And you should be there in a flash!", Ginny said.

They both took a pinch of floo powder and tossed those into the fireplace, and shouted just as Ginny had indicated. Izzy closed her eyes when she felt that odd feeling of traveling by floo. She hated it so much that she didn't want to see what was happening. She kept her eyes shut very tightly—which was actually a convenient thing for what was about to happen next.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

_It's still early,_ Harry thought lazily as he looked at his wrist watch. He had about 2 more hours before the grand opening of Colin Creevey's gallery. And so he made no effort whatsoever to be prepared as early as 2 hours before he had to cut the ribbon. That's where he got it wrong. Little did he know that Izzy and Ginny are on their way to his flat to pick him up and drag him along with the use of a portkey to Colin's gallery, an hour and a half earlier than what he had planned.

Harry scratched his head making his messy hair even messier, and yawned loudly as he fed Hedwig some owl treats. He was a little grumpy still from the little amount of sleep he had last night. He just couldn't sleep with all the scenarios playing in his head—scenarios of how he was going to tell Izzy that he already knew she was pretending. His imagination gave him about a hundred of scenarios, each scene more outrageous than the previous one.

He was already starting to smile his stupid lovestruck smile thinking of those daydreams (or was it night dreams?) he had last night when he felt a shift in the magical wards of his flat. Someone was arriving. He wasn't sure why the wards were reacting in this way but he was certain that something was off. Not wanting to be caught off-guard, he grabbed his wand and headed for the living room. He didn't really need his wand since he was capable of wandless magic, but auror training has forced him to use his wand by habit—it wasn't safe to let everyone in the wizarding world to know that he was a wandless magic caster. He'll never know if there were remaining Voldemort supporters hidden in the shadows and waiting for the right opportunity to strike. It was best to keep a "hidden weapon" against an unknown enemy.

The fireplace was suddenly filled with bright emerald flames, and in a second, Ginny who was dusting herself off stepped out of it.

"Oh Ginny. It's just you. You scared me, you know that?", he sighed in relief.

"Why? That's odd. And how come you knew someone was coming?", she asked.

"It's the wards. They became all weird and well—it—they just felt different. So I knew something was off and that there's definitely someone on their way here. I dunno why the wards just suddenly reacted this way. I mean, I certainly set them up to allow you in so I dunno what's the problem", he scratched his head again.

"Oh no! The wards! I forgot! Oh dear!", Ginny bit her lip, and she turned around, towards the fireplace as if looking for something.

"What? What's wrong?"

"Harry! Quick! Turn the wards off! I think Izzy's stuck! She was supposed to arrive here, just after I did! She's not specified in your wards, is she?", Ginny asked.

Harry panicked. "WHAT? WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SO?? Oh dear Merlin!", he said as he held up his hand, sending waves of magic Ginny certainly felt in the air. It was _that _powerful, Harry was _that_ powerful.

In an instant, the fireplace glowed a bright emerald once more and Izzy appeared in front of it. Harry held up his hand to reactivate his flat's wards, and approached Izzy once he was finished. Izzy was unconscious on his living room floor, and was being examined by Ginny. Harry carried her to the couch.

"Oh dear. Is she alright, Ginny?", he asked her.

"Surprisingly, yes. I really think she's okay. I thought your wards were made of first class stuff? How come she's almost unscathed?", Ginny asked him curiously.

"It _is_ the top-of-the line magical innovation for warding. _That's_ why she's virtually unharmed. She wasn't on my specified list of people permitted to enter the flat but what the wards do is they check on the person's intentions, their feelings towards the owner of the house. This reveals a lot.", Harry smiled at the unconscious blonde girl on his couch.

"Oh. Wow. _That_ really is advanced magic! So you mean she's relatively unharmed because she has good intentions towards you?"

"Nah. Not really. Good intentions won't be enough. You'd still have a few scratches here and there. 'Cause you have to be polite enough to give me a notice of your visit if you really have good intentions. But look at her—she doesn't have any cuts, does she?"

"Oh, she has one. On her right palm. Here—see? I already healed it for her. But I'm afraid she'll have that scar forever. You've got pretty powerful wards here", Ginny said.

"Yeah, and she only got one cut. That's very unusual. She has to have some really powerful feeling for me", Harry smirked.

"Oh. So you're saying that she's still in love with you. And that's why she was able to survive a sabotage on your wards!", Ginny smirked with him.

"I didn't say that! You know if you really want to find out, you better ask her. She's the only one who could answer that question", he said.

"Right. Like you're not thinking that she's madly in love with you", Ginny teased.

"Shush. But you know, what's really interesting is her cut.", Harry said as he held her hand.

"I have the same cut. See?", he opened his palm to reveal a scar of a slash that was fresh 3 years ago—when he killed Voldemort. When he slashed Voldemort with Godric Gryffindor's sword, he held it so tightly that it cut through his skin. It wounded his right palm just as he shouted Izzy's name and pierced Voldemort's heart with the sword.

"Ooh. Is that the one from the battle of Hogwarts? When—you know, when you defeated him?"

"Yeah it is. Oy, by the way, why were you coming to my flat in the first place?", he asked Ginny.

"Oh. That. Well, Dennis wrote to us. He says the reporters already know about the ribbon cutting. So, he sent us this portkey so we could travel an hour and a half earlier. Hey that reminds me, we don't have much time. You have to get dressed for the gallery's opening or we'll miss the portkey's activation. I'll look after Izzy while you prepare, don't worry.", Ginny said.

"Oh. Okay. Just holler when she's awake. I want to ask her what she remembers happening. Let's just hope she'll tell us the truth, eh?", Harry joked.

"Hey. Don't make fun of her—she's unconscious and wounded. It's lucky she still likes you. Merlin knows what would've happened to her if she didn't. Just go, will you? Go take a bath! You're starting to stink!", Ginny said jokingly.

"Hey! I am not!", Harry said as he walked away. He may have argued but he still smelled himself on the way to the bathroom at the end of the hallway.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

"Harry, would you hurry up? I think Izzy's waking up!", Ginny knocked at Harry's bathroom door.

Harry had just gone off the shower when she called. He didn't think twice about running to Izzy's side. He just got into a pair of his favorite jeans and got out of the bathroom.

"Whoa Harry. Didn't bother getting dressed up, did you?", Ginny exclaimed.

"I'm dressed up—sort of!", Harry said and then he turned to walk towards the living room where Izzy was.

At the living room, Izzy was indeed stirring. Groggily, she opened her eyes. Everything was blurry and was very slowly going into focus. The first thing that came into view was a pair of large eyes—like tennis balls.

Then when the rest of the picture got clearer, she saw that those eyes belonged to a house elf.

_Hey, I never knew Harry had his own house elf. Oh, wait, this is probably the house elf he inherited from his godfather, _Izzy thought.

"Er—hullo there!", Izzy greeted the house elf awkwardly.

"M—mistress? A—are you Kreacher's mistress?"

"Er—I don't know what you're talking about. Aren't you Harry's house elf?"

"Oh yes. Kreacher is master Harry's. But your eyes miss! Your eyes are just like master's", he said, with his eyes widening once again.

Izzy scratched her head. "Huh? I don't understand. How could they be like Harry's? His eyes are green—and my eyes—"

"Violet. Your eyes are violet. Yes. Just like master's", Kreacher nodded.

"Oh, Kreacher, you've found our visitor haven't you? Why don't you all get us something to drink?", Harry requested.

"Yes master.", and Kreacher disappeared with a pop.

Izzy turned her head towards the living room door where Harry's voice seemed to come from. And boy did she feel like she was about to faint again. Right in front of her was the most gorgeous, most stunning man she'd ever laid eyes on. Harry Potter in the flesh, wearing low-rise faded jeans, his rectangular spectacles (silver framed, the ones she got for him several years ago), and nothing else. He obviously just got out of the shower, with his messy jet black hair still dripping. Izzy, open-mouthed, followed the droplets with her eyes, and traced the trail they've formed along Harry's perfectly chiseled torso.

"Izzy, are you alright?", he asked her. And she just blinked, and quite a few times too.

"Izzy? Er—sorry about the wards. I didn't know you were coming.", Harry apologized, but he wasn't sure Izzy could hear him.

"Er—Ginny. Are you sure she's fine? She looks a little off to me, don't you think?", he said when he gained no reaction whatsoever from the stunned girl.

Izzy snapped out of her stupor. "I'm fine! Really! Sorry. I was trying to recall what happened.", she said.

_Which is a total lie, Izzy! A total lie! It was more like you were looking at those oh so delicious abs, and the way droplets of water from his hair were trailing across them!, _a voice inside her head said dreamily.

"What happened Izzy? Can you remember?", Ginny asked her.

"Well—not really. You know I don't like flooing so I had my eyes closed the whole time. I really didn't know what happened. All I know is, as the feeling of being transported was fading, I had trouble getting into the fireplace. And then everything went white hot. I remember a slash on my palm—ah yes, it's here. You healed it, didn't you Gin? Thanks for that. Anyway, that's all I can recall. I guess I passed out after that", she said.

"Ah. Yes. You must have. You see it's really my fault so I'm sorry about it. Really. I forgot that Harry here has the best warding England can ever look for. It's top-of-the-line you see.", Ginny shook her head and chuckled.

"It's okay Ginny. We do forget sometimes."

"No, it isn't! Weren't you listening? The warding is the best there is! You could have died today and it would be my fault!"

"But I didn't, did I? Why though? I thought those wards were supposed to be the best there is"

"Well, it wards off people not specified by Harry. But it filters these people too. You're intentions will be looked at, as well as your—er—personal—er—feelings for the person", Ginny said awkwardly. Izzy stiffened.

"So—I didn't get hurt much because I had meant no harm in my visit here?", Izzy said, obviously picking the first reason in order to avoid mentioning the second one Ginny mentioned.

"Er—not exactly. 'Cause, good intentions are not enough. For you to get out of the wards' wrath like that, you must have some really strong bond, strong emotion for the owner of the house.", Ginny said.

Silence. And an awful and awkward moment.

"Well, I guess it's because you two are really good friends. You're best friends, right? Yes I think that's it.", Ginny said hurriedly to break the awkwardness of the situation.

"Er—yeah, you're probably right, Gin. Hey, how much time have we got? I think I better continue getting dressed or we might miss the portkey activation. I'll be quick.", Harry said. And he left for his bedroom.

And Izzy had never been so glad in her life that Harry had just walked away from a room that she was in. She was thankful for this diversion. What an awful moment.

_But admit it, you're still in love with him, aren't you? And that's what saved you today!, _her own conscience taunted her.

_Oh stop it! Don't be so cruel to me!! I'm going insane, talking to myself like this! Oh alright! I have to give credit to it anyway. This stupidity called love always saves me at the end of the day. That's supposed to be good right? Good but stupid? Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! Oh Izzy, you are so pathetic, _Izzy shook her head as these thoughts played in her mind.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

"Harry, Izzy! Great! You're just right on time. The reporters are starting to gather, can you believe it? Lucky you went through this portkey! Hey, wait a minute! Where's Ginny? She's supposed to arrive with you, right?", Dennis said as a welcome.

"Hah! Ginny chickened out! And the others well—", Harry started.

"Oh the others sent me owls—Ron and Hermione, George and Marius. I know Marius will be coming late. But they all told me Ginny's gonna be with you. What happened? What do you mean she chickened out?", he asked.

"Oh don't pay attention to Harry. Ginny didn't chicken out! She got an urgent call at St. Mungo's that's why she had to go.", Izzy said.

"Oh. Tough life for a healer, eh? That's why I never wanted to be one", Dennis chuckled.

"Yeah. It is really tough. But then again, she's really good at it. Don't worry Dennis. She told us she'll try to at least be late—that is if she can finish her duty right away.", Harry said.

"Oh it's okay. I understand perfectly. And to be honest, this is much better. I wanted to show you guys something special—a certain surprise that I could say is from Colin himself. And I was having trouble thinking of ways of showing you this surprise without Ginny. So I guess it's a good thing she had to rush to St. Mungo's.", Dennis explained as he led them to a hallway full of photographs his brother had taken.

"Oh are all of these Colin's? He really is talented! And a Harry Potter fan eh?", Izzy remarked, upon seeing that almost all of the pictures were of Harry.

"Ugh! I remember this! Aaah! Why'd you even put that up?", Harry complained. Izzy and Dennis laughed simultaneously at the picture and at Harry's reaction. The picture was the one taken during a quidditch match in second year. The day when Harry's whole arm had been de-boned by Professor Lockhart.

"Everyone just found that picture so cute that we decided to put it on display. Hope you aren't mad at me. Anyway, that's not what I wanted to show you. Over here!", Dennis said as they stopped in front of big wooden doors at the end of the hallway. It looked like it was the most special room in the whole gallery, with doors so huge and heavy that it certainly gave the impression that what was behind them was something so precious.

Indeed when Dennis opened the wooden doors, Harry and Izzy's eyes grew so wide. The whole room was marvelous—it was about them. A plaque was mounted on the wall beside the doors. It read:

_The Ysovielle de Lune & Harry Potter Room_

"_What's magical about taking pictures of this lovely couple_

_is the fact that you won't need talent in capturing them_

_in the most perfect piece of photography._

_The sparkle in Izzy's eyes when Harry looks at her,_

_the protectiveness in the way Harry puts his arms around her,_

_and the way Harry became half-dead without her,_

_is the most perfect masterpiece a photographer can capture._

_I don't think you can ever find two people who are more perfect for one another."_

_-Colin Creevey_

Izzy's eyes began to fill with tears upon reading what was engraved on the plaque, and more so when she looked around to see numerous pictures of her and Harry. There were pictures of them snuggling up in the common room, Harry cupping her face as he stared at her, Izzy threatening Harry with a jam spreader, both of them laughing at Fred and George's pranks, Harry stroking her hair, Izzy sleeping on Harry's chest, and even a picture of the monumental "I love you" Harry spoke at the Great Hall one morning.

Izzy felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Harry's. She turned to look at him and was surprised to see him teary-eyed as well.

"H—Harry—I—", Izzy didn't know what to say. What was it she was supposed to say at a moment like this?

"Thanks Dennis. This is—oh—I can't even describe it. This means so much to me. To us, I believe.", Harry said, cutting Izzy off. Izzy just nodded to agree to what he had just said.

"No, don't thank me. It's Colin's surprise for you. It's his gift. If there's anyone who needs to be grateful today—that would be me. Thank you for being here.", Dennis said sincerely.

"But Dennis—this—this plaque—they're really Colin's words? But—but where?", Izzy had trouble asking how Colin came to uttering those wonderfully placed words.

"Oh my brother has little notes on his photo album. It's like his journal really. But as he is a photographer—he journals with pictures, and he just adds comments to them. That's where we found that inscription—in a little piece of parchment inside an album that was full of your pictures. You know, everyone who ever read that became teary eyed just like you did now. It was pretty obvious that Colin wanted you to end up together.", he said distantly.

_Knock. Knock. Knock. _Someone knocked at the door.

"Er, Mr. Creevey—were about to begin! The ribbon cutters, please?", a man called.

"Oh. Sure sure. We'll be right there"

Dennis was right. Once the press caught wind of Harry and Izzy's appearance at the gallery's opening today, the whole place became packed with them. You can hear reporters everywhere, and you'll be blinded by camera flashes going off here and there every minute.

It was time for the ribbon cutting, and of course, all eyes were fixed on Harry and Izzy. Harry was just about ready to snip away when he noticed that Izzy seemed to be having trouble with her own pair of scissors.

He moved closer to her and whispered, "Is everything okay?"

"Uhm—I'm having a hard time with my wound", she whispered back.

"Okay. Let me handle this. Just smile, okay?", he said.

Then Harry went behind Izzy. He abandoned his own pair of scissors, took Izzy's right hand, and guided her with the cutting. Izzy, who was smiling just as Harry asked her to, was caught by surprise. She looked back at Harry with wide eyes. Harry just looked back with a huge smile on his face. And at that moment, Izzy couldn't hear the crowd—they were all muffled by the loud pounding of Izzy's heart as she prayed to Merlin that she wouldn't faint for the second time that day.


	11. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Disclaimer: I own the wonderful character Izzy de Lune. She's so wonderful (for me, that is) that I don't ever want to claim JK Rowling's characters as my own. So there, you heard me, they're not mine.

**Chapter 11: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun**

"We're almost there. Hang on, hang on. Hold my hand, Mione. This way…slowly…up a couple of steps…And here we are!", Ginny said as she was guiding a blindfolded Hermione towards a large door.

They were followed by a lot of excited girls—Izzy, Lavender, Parvati, Luna, Fleur and Audrey.

"Oooh! I wonder what's behind this door!", Lavender said excitedly.

"Is there even a door? I wonder what you're all looking at seeing as I'm totally clueless with this blindfold on!", Hermione said sarcastically—in a way that would definitely have been accompanied by some eye-rolling if it weren't for the fact that she had just pointed out.

"Why don't we open the door, hmm? Then when we're inside it, let's remove Hermione's blindfold!", Audrey suggested.

They opened the door. And Hermione wanted to remove her blindfold more than ever when she heard the reactions of the girls around her.

"Oh wow! You're definitely gonna love this, Hermione! It's—it's—ah, well, you'll know it when you see it!", Parvati gasped and squealed in excitement.

"Oh. Is this your—?", Luna asked. Hermione didn't catch the last part, since obviously Luna must have mouthed or whispered whatever it is that they were about to surprise her with.

"Yup. You got that right! Oh how we've missed this!", Izzy said.

"Wow! It's pretty neat, huh? I've never been there, or in this case in a replica of it. Ours is pretty good too, but it's just not circular and of course, the motif's different, right Luna?", Audrey addressed Luna.

"Mmmm hmmm! I must agree though. This looks so nice that I wouldn't mind being one of you!", she replied—whatever 'one of you' meant.

"Hmm. Eet ees nice. But back een my country, een our—er—place, ze atmosphere ees much cozier. I guess eets because of ze weather also. Eet ees hotter een France you see", Fleur added her own comments.

"Maybe. But you know Fleur, this can also be really cozy. Especially when we're over here, and there's a roaring fire! We had the best times of our lives here!", Ginny said.

"Aaargh! Can you stop talking about things I can't even see? Are you going to remove my blind fold or not?", Hermione asked them frustratedly. She didn't really know whether to love or to hate surprises. But she knew that she was a very impatient person when it comes to things with a lot of suspense. It wasn't just logical to make suspense out of nothing. If it were possible to get down to business right away, why delay for the sake of suspense? The idea was just totally absurd for the logical and cram-hating Hermione.

"Okay okay, chill! Aaah. I almost forgot. Hermione hates surprises!", Ginny smirked.

"Why don't we remove her blindfold before the suspense drives her insane?", Izzy teased.

"Okay then, are you ready Mione? One…Two…Three!", Ginny said as she finally removed the blindfold from Hermione's place.

The first thing that Hermione's still blurry eyes saw was a color—deep red almost bordering on maroon. Then upon adjusting to the sudden presence of light, her eyes focused on what seemed like an exact replica of the Gryffindor Tower—only there were just two rooms in it. There was the common room of course, and the girls' dormitory. Nevertheless, the whole place looked just like the place most of them considered home for several years. Hermione, Lavender, Parvati and Ginny, of course, all stayed there for 7 whole school years. Izzy on the other hand, spent a year in that house. It was only Fleur, Luna and Audrey who weren't Gryffindors in the bunch. Fleur was from Beauxbatons, and Luna and Audrey were both Ravenclaws. And as expected, the three girls went around this replica of the tower and inspected its features, marveling at the place their friends were fond of.

"Oh. Wow! Oh, Wow! Ginny! This is—this is—", Hermione stuttered in disbelief.

"The Gryffindor tower? Uh huh! But it's only a replica!", Ginny finished her sentence.

"Wow, Gin! This is amazing! How did you get this done?", Hermione asked her future sister-in-law.

"How do you think? We're in the room-by-request suite of El Magico wizarding hotel! Nothing less for Ms. Hermione Granger's bridal shower!", Ginny grinned proudly. This whole bridal shower, from the invitations, to the theme, to the booking of the place, was her idea. And she was proud of having been able to pull off an impressive bridal shower for one of her closest friends in spite of her fully-packed schedule.

"B—but El Magico is so expensive! Even their normal rooms are so expensive—and you got the room-by-request suite? And you even turned it into the Gryffindor Tower? Do you know how expensive that is? This has got to have advanced magic in it—much like the room of requirement. And you can't just copy the Gryffindor tower—Hogwarts is one of the hardest places to duplicate by magic!", Hermione exclaimed.

"Shush! Sit down, will you? As usual, she's the queen of the worriers! Don't worry Hermione, I have a rich financer", Ginny smirked as she sat down on one of the replicas of the squishy armchairs by the fire.

"You have?! Oh my god! You have a rich boyfriend don't you? Tell us! Tell us!", Lavender squealed like a high school girl.

"Of course not! You know very well that I am currently single!", Ginny said.

"Who is it then? Who's this super rich mystery financer?", Parvati asked.

"Why, Harry of course! Who else? You know how he's like—trying to be as low profile as possible but to no avail. I mean, he's the ultimate multi-billion galleon wizard! Witch weekly alternates him and Draco as England's most eligible bachelor.", Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Uh huh, they really do. But it seems like it's only Draco who's living up to his title, with all the girls he dates every week!", Hermione giggled.

"But you know 'arry, 'e eez a very decent man. And zat eez why 'e eez not zom playboy like zat Draco", Fleur added with a nod.

"Uh huh. That's good and all, really, since we know him personally. But you know what? Sometimes, people are speculating that he might be gay or hiding a secret relationship", Lavender said juicily.

"Nah. Harry isn't any of those things. Compared to you girls, I've known Harry for a really short time, but I know enough about him to say that he probably has his eye on some girl already. He's just waiting for the right moment to move", Audrey suddenly spoke.

"You know Audrey is right. Harry doesn't look gay to me at all. If I am not mistaken, Harry has his eye on Izzy. I've seen the way he looks at her—just this afternoon. He has that glazed look whenever you're not aware that he's looking. Do you know that, Izzy?", Luna said with her gentle voice.

"Er—Luna, maybe you're just imagining things.", Izzy said. It made sense after all. Luna was famous for imagining all sorts of things.

"Nope! Luna wasn't imagining things. I'm quite sure that you are the very reason why he avoids dating at all cost!", Parvati teased her.

"Uh huh. Oh you won't believe the lengths he went through just to avoid the dates we set up for him. We wanted him to move on you see. But he wouldn't allow us to help him! Oh I remember one time when he told one of his dates that he was needed in a meeting, and then the girl caught him grabbing a firewhiskey at the Leaky Cauldron right after their supposed date!", Ginny chuckled.

"Oh yeah! I remember that one as well! Oh but my favorite was the time when he thought of acting so clumsily so that his date would get turned off. He spilled his pumpkin juice all over the poor girl! She got so mad that she took her own goblet of pumpkin juice and emptied it right on Harry's head! He went back to the ministry all sticky and smelling like pumpkin! Draco and I had a really good laugh!", Hermione clutched her stomach as she laughed.

Izzy frowned while all of her friends laughed. "It isn't really funny, at least in my point of view. It's a little stupid, really. Why would you be rude on purpose to get out of a date?"

"It's mostly our fault, actually. We didn't take no for answer, when he refused with all his might, to go on a date. We actually forced him into dating, which we now realize is a complete mistake.", Hermione said.

"Uh huh. It really is. Because no matter who you get for him to date, Harry will only compare the poor girl to someone else—to the woman he's always loved", Parvati giggled and glanced at Izzy meaningfully.

"Aaaw. How cute. He just couldn't get over you, Iz!!", Lavender smiled at her which made her blink rapidly for the lack of something good to say.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

"Bye! Don't be too hard on my brothers, alright?", Ginny called.

"That depends on how they've behaved! I hope when Harry said the bachelor party will be _wicked_, it doesn't mean what we think it means. Oh, but we'll see!", Audrey said just before she and Fleur left. They excused themselves from the five remaining girls so that they could drop by Ron's bachelor party and check on their husbands—and possibly drag them home early. They weren't even supposed to be there, but then again the groom's their brother.

This left Hermione, Izzy, Ginny, Lavender and Parvati to themselves. Luna had also left early.

"Aaaah. That's more like it! I have nothing against your in-laws, Ginny, and Luna too for that matter. But this place will only resemble the real Gryffindor tower when its only us that's in it. We don't normally have Ravenclaws inside the tower, do we?", Lavender stretched her hands like she just woke up.

"I totally agree, Lav. I've really missed that place. It's nice that we had this little reunion in a copy of such a dear place, don't you think?", Parvati asked them and they all nodded.

"So, how about some real partying, huh?", Ginny said with an evil smirk.

"I don't like the look of that smirk, Ginny. I hope you didn't hire male strippers.", Hermione shook her head.

"No of course not!", then she waved her wand once, and a second serving of food appeared, and for the first time, some really hard-hitting alcoholic beverages.

"Why would I hire male strippers? I'm not the person who does those things. Although, Harry's not that type either but I suspect that he did hire female strippers for Ron's party.", she said.

"What?! Are you sure? I thought Fleur and Audrey were just being paranoid about their husbands. There's no way Harry would do that! But—but now that it came from you—you're the ones who planned these things up, right? So—so do you really think there are strippers?", Hermione sort of panicked, grabbed the nearest bottle of firewhiskey and drank it.

"Oooh. Someone wants to get drunk!", Izzy teased.

"Hey! I was just letting off some steam. No. No. That's impossible, that's what it is! Harry would never do such a thing! I mean, I've known him most of my life—he'll never do something like that.", she tried convincing herself.

"Oh but Harry's been a little wild recently, don't you think? It's like he got a change of heart! He's been _very sneaky_ lately, didn't you notice?", Ginny smirked evilly once more. It was only Izzy who didn't understand what she was trying to say. She was pertaining to the fact that Harry had suddenly become more cunning and sneakier in his aim to win Izzy back.

"Hmph. But you know it would be more exciting if we had male strippers in here!", Lavender sighed dramatically.

"Why don't we do just that for Izzy's bridal shower?! Hmm? She's the next one to be wed, right?", Parvati teased.

"Hey! No talking about my wedding! I'm still trying to get out of it, you know.", Izzy said.

"Oh but I thought it's a must for royalty? Don't you have to give up your crown if you refuse to marry? So you mean to say that's exactly what you have planned?", Ginny asked her curiously. But of course it was all pretend. She knew exactly what was happening.

Izzy sighed. "I really don't want to get married to Everard IV—I don't even know him that much. We just went to the same school, but we never even spoke to one another. But I don't want to give up the crown—not for the sake of calling myself a princess, but mainly because the next-in-line is my cousin Amanda who's sooooo naïve and has this evil father, my uncle Aurelius.", Izzy rolled her eyes and took a sip of her firewhiskey.

"Uh-oh. That's a major dilemma. How do you plan on going around it?", Ginny asked again.

"Well, Marius found this book about royal marriage laws. It says that if I don't really like to marry the recommended partner by the family's elder, there needs to be someone else who can prove that he is more competent as a partner for me. He needs to prove it to our parliament and to the whole of wizarding Greece. And of course, I should be willing to marry him.", she sighed.

"Oooh. I know someone who can prove himself more competent than anyone else!"

"And who do you have in mind?"

"Harry of course! Who else? Isn't he the most eligible bachelor around? And just look at his credentials—he's almost too good to be true! He's the best auror of England, actually rumored to be the next head of aurors of the ministry, he got his Order of Merlin First Class at the age of 17 and duh!, he's the boy-who-lived turned man-who-conquered, for Merlin's sake! What could be more competent than that?", Parvati rolled her eyes.

"Oh but you're forgetting the part that I should be willing to marry him", Izzy said.

"You mean to say you'd rather put Greece in jeopardy than marry Harry?", Hermione raised her eyebrows.

"Nah. Wrong question, Hermione. That's not even something to consider. You see, Izzy, I just don't understand why you would refuse to marry someone you love? Why push him away as he's trying to win you back when you're obviously still in love with him?", Ginny asked challengingly.

"Er—I don't understand what you're trying to say, Ginny", Izzy said, still pretending not to remember anything concerning Harry and the small affair they had.

"Oh drop it Izzy! We already know! You never forgot him—you're just pretending, right?", Ginny narrowed her eyes.

"Uhm—"

"It's okay Izzy. We're trying to understand you and we know you had your reasons. But past is past, and we want you to deal with this the right way, this time around. Don't run away from it. Just accept it! If you and Harry really love each other, then stop making it harder for both of you!", Hermione told her comfortingly.

Izzy sighed for the nth time that night. "I—I just don't know what to do anymore. It's become so complicated already that I'm afraid one wrong move will ruin everything. Er—can I ask you something? How did you find out all about it? And—uhm—does Harry know already?", she asked cautiously, not sure whether she really wanted to hear their answer to that.

"Oh—er—we—overheard Draco and Marius talking about it. Yeah—that's right!", Ginny said, finding a reasonable excuse just in time. She didn't want to give away the fact that Harry already knows. Harry made her promise.

"And don't worry Izzy, Harry doesn't know yet. I think you should be the one to tell him, don't you think?", Hermione smirked inwardly. This is going to be fun. Izzy now will tell Harry herself that she's just pretending, while Harry on the other hand, will tell her that he already knows all about it! Hermione couldn't possibly wait for that moment to happen. She just wishes she'll be there to witness it when it does.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

"You know I don't really think we should be doing this!", Ginny whispered.

"Shhhh. Shut up! There's no point arguing! We're already here! We might as well spy on them!", Hermione replied in a whisper as well.

"Uh huh! Go on! Have another round! You're really good at this aren't you, little kitten?", Draco's flirting voice can be heard through the door.

The five girls were currently standing outside that door, with extendable ears in hand, trying to listen to the 'wicked' bachelor party that was going on beyond that door.

"Oy Ron! Look at this little witch do her stuff! You won't believe it!", Draco called.

"Why what's she doing?", this time, Blaise's voice was the one that asked them.

"Oho! I've never seen a girl that intense!", Dean exclaimed in amazement. His voice kind of sounded groggy though. He was obviously drunk.

"They're all—hic—good—hic—you know! Mine got me—hic—knocked out. Harry's wasted over—hic—there too—his girl wore him—hic—out easily! Can't believe I'd—hic—find a witch that could do that—hic—to me that quickly. I've been beaten!", Seamus said like a true drunkard. Then it was followed by a loud thump—he had fallen to the floor.

The girls outside the room had their eyes widened in shock. Tons of images and scenes were going on in their heads.

"But I say, check this one out. She's probably the best among all of them", Draco said. Being the one who frequents clubs and bars, Draco was naturally sober—even after drinking a whole lot of alcohol. He didn't look it, but he drank firewhiskey like water—he was almost immune to its effect.

"C'mon, just look at that. Go ahead, baby, that's it! Oh yeah! Good job, now suck!", Draco said.

"Oooh. That's pretty messy.", Blaise said.

"Never mind the mess. The point is, ...ooh.. careful with that, kitten! Anyway, the point is she's absolutely a pro. That's your—what? I think that's her 10th tonight. Oh no, maybe it's her 12th? I didn't really count. But it's around that number, right, kitten?", Draco's voice asked.

"Let's see if she can wear Ron out, shall we?", Blaise asked.

"Uh huh. I'd like to see that. Ron's face is priceless! It goes all red, just like his hair!", Dean chuckled.

"It's a pity Harry and Seamus won't see this. They're both knocked out! Harry didn't even reach his fifth, I think!", Blaise sniggered.

"Ah well—he's not a regular in girly clubs. Of course, he's not used to it. He used to be this really workaholic guy, remember? Really, I was surprised when he told me about this party. I never thought he could pull of something like this", Draco drawled.

"Ah, anyway, Ron, are you ready?", Dean asked.

"Again? You know how tiring it is, don't you? A few more and I'm bound to be knocked out on the floor like those two there", Ron protested, but he wasn't heard.

"Ah. Shut it. Just go on! We want to see how long you'll last against this pretty number", Draco said.

"Ah, see? She's already started! And there you go! Go on, kitten, suck!", Dean said.

At that very moment, the door suddenly exploded.

"RONALD BILIUS WEASLEY!! WHAT IN MERLIN'S NAME DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING??", Hermione shouted with all her strength. Her wand still sparkling from the magic it has just emitted in smashing the door into smithereens.

The boys, at least those who were still conscious, all looked at her. Ron gulped audibly.

"Oho. Look who's crashing the party. Is there a problem, girls? We were just drinking tequila, you know.", Draco asked lazily.

The girls looked flushed with embarrassment. They had a lot of dirty things in mind with all the noises they've heard for the past several minutes. And they were surprised to see the boys drinking tequila shots with three girls—drink serving girls that comes with every order, not strippers.

"Tut tut. I knew it. You don't trust us do you? Hmm?", Blaise raised his eyebrows.

"Oh shut up. You're just confident that Ginny wouldn't do such a thing in Hermione's own party. But are you really sure? What if we've had strippers over, and you just didn't know?", Parvati raised her own eyebrows at her boyfriend.

Blaise frowned. "Nah, that's impossible", he said.

"Really? Did you know where I booked us for the night? We had the room-by-request suite of El Magico. You do know what those room-by-request suites are usually for, right? I got the receipt right here too. What do you say to that, hmm?", Ginny asked smugly.

"Th—the room-by-request suite?", Blaise gulped.

"Uh huh. You know, the rooms usually transformed into themed rooms, fantasy rooms? Pretty kinky, don't you think?", Izzy added.

Draco snorted. "Don't believe them Blaise. If they really had strippers over, they'd still be there. But they're here, aren't they? It means they weren't preoccupied with something else that would make them forget about our little party here", Draco smirked.

"Aargh. I hate you Draco!", Ginny groaned in frustration at Draco's brilliance.

"Ah. There's no use groaning, Gin. Why don't you just join us in drinking? You're already here, anyway", Draco suggested.

"Nah. We've already done our own share of drinking", she replied. "But we'll hang around if you like."

"Sure, no problem. I just don't think Harry and Seamus will be much of a company. They're both knocked out drunk. It's a good thing Harry didn't schedule this party on the night before the wedding. I dunno if I'll be able to walk down the aisle without swaying", Ron said.

"Hmm. But I think the bride needs a drink, and badly too", Parvati teased Hermione, who just couldn't say anything. She was still embarrassed with the way she'd barged in her fiancée's bachelor party.

"You know—hah!—you—that's just stupid!—mmm—Izzy!", Harry moaned in his sleep.

Everyone chuckled.

"Ooh. I think you better take a good look at Harry. He's still thinking of you even if he's drunk.", Lavender elbowed Izzy.

Izzy complied. She approached Harry and shifted his position so that he'd be able to sleep more comfortably. Izzy took this rare opportunity to examine every little detail of that handsome face. She ran her fingers through his messy jet black hair—it was so soft, and it wasn't until now that she realized how much she'd missed doing that to his hair. She also touched his famous scar—the only thing most people see in him. He looked so peaceful, sleeping like that. Never mind that he reeked of alcohol. For Izzy, he was still the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

A/N: Is anyone still reading this story? I've missed your opinions. Really, I have.


	12. Harry Potter Has A Son!

Disclaimer: I love my own _main _characters Izzy, and Marius. Izzy is perfect enough for me, so I'm not gonna claim Harry as my own. Everything is JK Rowling's!

**Chapter 12: Harry Potter Has A Son?!**

It's the day of Ron and Hermione's wedding. Everyone gathered at El Magico hotel's grandiose botanical gardens decorated lavishly with golden silk hangings everywhere. There were still a lot of guests arriving at the venue and two pretty girls were having a light conversation as they observed them.

"Oh and here comes Andromeda with little Teddy! Oh how cute! He's absolutely adorable!", Ginny giggled.

"Ooh. Is that Tonks' son? Why, he's as charming as his mother! And a metamorphmagus too? The turquoise hair? Is he friendly?", Izzy asked with a smile as she watched the little boy and his grandmother approach.

"Mmm. Not so much. He's a little shy, actually. Mostly opens up to Harry and Draco—his _favorite_ uncles! I just hope he turns to someone else for a role model! We don't want that little cutie growing up like those two men! Don't be too disappointed if he doesn't react much—he's just really really bashful, especially around girls", Ginny winked.

"Oh, Ginny, you look fantastic, I must say! Oh you don't know how glad I am that we're not late! We barely made it in time you know. Teddy doesn't like to wear his little bow tie. Do you think you can help me convince him to wear it?", Andromeda asked Ginny. Teddy happened to be Ron and Hermione's ring bearer and so it was important for him to be dressed as presentably as possible.

"Oh sure, I'd love to help you with that. Right little Teddy? You'd go with Auntie Ginny, mmm? Oh, Andromeda, I don't think you've met Izzy de Lune?", Ginny introduced the two women to one another.

"Oh hullo the—", Andromeda meant to say _hullo there_ but she faltered. Instead, she stared at Izzy's eyes. When she realized what she had been doing, she cleared her throat and apologized.

"Oh. Erm—sorry about that. It's just—your eyes! Are you of English descent, or is your family purely from Greece?", she asked.

"Well, I don't really know madam. You see, I barely knew my father. But I know for sure that the main branch of the de Lune family tree comes from the Mediterranean wizarding communities only.", she replied.

"Ah but what I'm thinking is impossible. Never mind that. You—j—just look like someone I used to know—especially your eyes. It's remarkable how they look exactly like his—or something like it—I'm really not sure anymore. It's been too long since I last saw him. And it's highly improbable—anyway, my dear, I am Andromeda Tonks, Dora's mother—I know you've met her before, right? It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you", she said politely, the first few sentences more to herself than to Izzy.

"I do hope they're quite positive—those things you've heard about me, that is. Rumors aren't so good to me recently. I hope none of those have reached your ears", she said shyly.

"Oh heavens, no. Not the rumors. I've heard a lot about you but from Harry. Whenever he visits us—he tells me stories of his days at Hogwarts. And it's really wonderful how he tells me a lot about you even if you've only been there for a year. Treasure Harry, Izzy, he cares a lot about you.", Andromeda said. She stopped talking when she felt something tugging at her skirt—it was Teddy, looking wide-eyed at Izzy.

"What is it, Teddy, my dear?"

"Granny, who'sh pwetty lady?", he asked.

"Why she's your Auntie Izzy. Why don't you say hi to her? Come on, I know you're usually shy, but she's really nice!", Andromeda told him.

"Hullo Auntie Izzy! Ish nice too meet choo!", he said and then with a small run, he went to Izzy's side and gave her a hug—or gave her legs a hug. He's so tiny, he barely reaches Izzy's waist. Izzy knelt down to hug the little boy properly.

"How adorable! It's nice to meet you too, Teddy!", Izzy said while hugging him.

"That's unusual! Teddy's rather shy with most people but I think he's fond of you! That's a rare thing for Teddy. He doesn't normally copy people at first meeting! You must be really great with children!", Andromeda remarked. Izzy didn't understand right away what she was saying. But when she broke the hug and looked at Teddy properly, she immediately understood why. The boy, being a metamorphmagus, copied Izzy's appearance by changing his hair color to blonde and his eyes color to violet. The resemblance was astounding that he looked like he was Izzy's own son.

"No fair! It took me and Hermione years before he warmed up to us like that! And you only needed a minute?", Ginny said unbelievingly.

"Oh Teddy! You look like Izzy's son! Hey! You know what, my dear? You better put on your bow tie and change your hair and eyes back, I think the ceremony's about to start", Andromeda told her grandson.

"I do'wanna put bow tie on!", Teddy frowned.

"Teddy, do you want Auntie Izzy to help you put on your bow tie?", Izzy asked him.

"Mmm", he thought about it for a second and then… "Okay!", he agreed.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

"Goodness! I don't think I can do this! There's just so many people! I told Ron not to invite too many people! What if I trip along the way, and then my dress gets torn and my hair ruined, and—", Hermione was panicking, just when the ceremony is about to begin.

"Hermione, calm down! Can you hear yourself talking? It's not like you at all! You can do this! Just focus on Ron, and don't be too conscious of the people around you! I doubt it if you'll even notice them. Just look at him and remember that this day is entirely for both of you! Nothing can ever ruin that!", Izzy said, trying to comfort Hermione and calm her down.

"Izzy's right, Mione! This is the moment you've always waited for, right? You've always told me how you secretly like to walk down the aisle like most girls your age. And now one of your dreams is coming true! And you're finally going to be a Weasley! We're going to be sisters! You're gonna be Ron's wife! Relax, Hermione! There's nothing to worry about!", Ginny smiled at her soon-to-be-sister.

Hermione breathed in and out heavily and fanned herself frantically. "Whew. I guess you're right. It isn't really the time for me to be all panicky, right? Nothing's gonna go wrong. We're finally getting married!", she said excitedly.

"Ah, that's more like it!", Izzy smiled. Then the bridal march song started playing.

"Let's take our places, shall we?", Ginny asked Izzy and Hermione.

As the music got its momentum, Ron, who is the groom, and Harry, his best man entered with bright smiles and approached the altar. Lots of cameras flashed frantically. Some selected members of the press were invited. They didn't really want reporters in the event, but Kingsley said that it would be better to keep the press on their side. The funny thing is, they seemed to take more pictures of Harry than Ron, because of Harry's celebrity status.

Then it was the bridesmaids and the groomsmen's turn to walk down the aisle. The girls were all wearing bright gold dress robes, as requested by Hermione. All dresses were of course made by Lavender and Parvati. Speaking of the two designers, the first couple to walk was the sweethearts Parvati and Blaise. They were followed by Lavender and Seamus, and to the surprise of some people in the crowd, Ginny and Dean. They never got reunited after breaking up 4 years ago, but they had remained really good friends.

Not long after Ginny and Dean walked down the aisle, the crowd gasped at the sight of the next person in line for the entourage—the maid of honor. Wearing her pale gold dress robes splashed with rhinestones all around, with her platinum blonde hair in a bun, Ysovielle de Lune, or Isobelle to some, and Izzy to her close friends, started walking with a sweet smile gracing her pretty face.

Again, cameras started flashing as the famous princess of Greece started walking down the aisle. She was as poised, as pretty and as elegant as can be, and the best man, Harry Potter who stood at the end of the aisle, felt like he was going to die from shortness of breath any minute now.

Everyone gathered to celebrate this momentous occasion marveled at the beauty of this lady, and followed her every step. That is, until a scene stealer came in the form of a little four year old boy.

"Auntie Izzy!", Teddy shouted, running as fast as his two little legs can take him. As the ring bearer, he was supposed to be the next person to walk the aisle, just before the flower girl, Victoire Weasley—the daughter of Bill and Fleur. But the little boy ran all the way to his Auntie Izzy, until he reached her side.

At the end of the aisle, Harry caught Izzy's eye. He was looking at her with a surprised and questioning expression on his face. He too was amazed at how Izzy managed to have his godson open to her in a matter of minutes. It was evident that the boy likes her.

"Teddy! Come back! No walk yet! Aaaaand hair!!", Victoire, the 3 year old girl, shouted at her best friend, reminding him to change his hair back to its real color (brown). It was still blonde after he had copied Izzy's hair.

"No! I like it! I wan' Auntie Izzy!", he shouted back.

"Fine! Hmph!", the little girl fumed, making her veela blood show.

For about half a minute the crowd was like watching a tennis match, their heads moving from one direction to another.

"Ca—wy! Auntie Izzy!", Teddy looked up at Izzy with his arms outstretched. He was asking her to carry him.

"Oh, you cute little thing! Okay. C'mon!", Izzy said as she kneeled down and scooped Teddy up from the floor. You can hear 'aaaw's from the watching crowd, and clicks from the press' cameras.

"Auntie Izzy? Why ish ev'wyone looking? Aa—aand taking pictures?", Teddy whispered in her ear.

"Because you're so adorable, that's why! C'mon, Teddy, why don't you give them your most perfect smile?", she whispered back.

Teddy giggled. "Okay. Uhm—Auntie Izzy? Uncle Hawwy stawing (staring)!"

Izzy froze, and her eyes scanned the spot reserved for the best man, where he saw the gorgeous tux-wearing Harry Potter.

From afar, Harry watched two of the most precious people in his life walk down the aisle—Izzy and Teddy. The whole world seemed to rotate in slow motion as he observed the glow on their faces, with Teddy looking very much like Izzy's own son, having changed his hair to blonde and his eyes to violet. He wondered if that's exactly how Izzy would look like carrying her own child in the future. Harry smiled at the thought. Izzy would make the perfect mother for his children—if only he could make her and Greece see that!

Izzy winked at Harry. She had recovered from the shock of realizing Harry was staring at her. The camera men of the press, having good eyes, caught the little wink, and Harry's chuckle that came after that, and the elbow that hurt him still after that. It was Ron's.

"Harry, I'm the groom here, not you. And Hermione's the bride, not Izzy", Ron said.

He looked at Ron weirdly, as if he were sizing him up. "Don't you think I know that? Why else would I be standing here for? What am I, a flower decoration?"

"You know exactly what I mean, you prat! Though I thought for a moment there you've really forgotten that this is _my _wedding, _not yours_.", he rolled his eyes.

"Well if it's any consolation to you, Ron, Izzy and Teddy are done walking the aisle. Soon, you won't be needing any reminders that this is your wedding. Hermione's turn is almost up!", Harry told his best friend.

"Will you two stop talking! It's our Victoire's turn! It's her first time to be a flower girl! Can you please be supportive of her?", Mrs. Weasley, who was behind them told them off.

"But it's my wedding!", Ron tried to argue.

"Ssshhh! That's my Victoire! My beautiful daughter!", Bill said proudly somewhere behind them as Victoire Weasley, the flower girl, reached the altar.

When she was done walking, the music slowed down, and became softer, announcing the arrival of the bride.

From a small gazebo at the back of the garden emerged three figures—Mr. and Mrs. Granger and their daughter, also the bride, Hermione Granger—soon to be Weasley. Harry had to admit, even after Izzy walked down the aisle, it was still Hermione's moment, it was still Hermione's day. She was looking so radiant, and so special that day that no one would ever doubt that this was _her_ wedding. Harry reckoned this had something to do with the fact that she traded her ministry robes for a magnificent white wedding gown, and her books on magical creatures for a large bouquet of white roses. Her hair was also curled and styled elegantly, replacing its usual bushy look. Harry remembered to look sideways at the groom to make sure he hasn't passed out yet. He was relieved to find that Ron wasn't on the floor, but still standing. Although with the way he was looking at Hermione, Harry stayed alert in case he needed to do some _catching-the-best-friend-who-just-passed-out ­_act.

_Okay, modify that, I don't think it's Ron who's gonna pass out now. It's either Mrs. Weasley or Mrs. Granger. I wonder who'll pass out first, _Harry thought dreadfully.

Indeed, both mothers were shaking, crying, and looking as if they were about to pass out. Harry knew this was some common habit of mothers when their children get married, Merlin knows he'd seen a lot of romantic muggle movies Hermione and Ginny forced him to watch with them where the wedding scene always has the mothers crying. But even after seeing those movies, Harry was still alarmed at the sight. Mrs. Granger was clutching her daughter's arm tightly occasionally whispering _"Oh my only child! My only child is getting married!"_, while Mrs. Weasley was currently blowing her nose as her husband patted her back for comfort.

At that moment Izzy caught Harry's eye which was glinting and they both resisted the urge to burst out in laughter—managing to tone down everything to a snort. It was a good thing both mothers realized the negative attention they were getting, such that when Ron finally took Hermione by the hand and led him to the altar, both women were starting to calm down. The solemnity of the celebration was restored.

Even without the wailing mothers, Harry and Izzy kept looking at each other during the entire ceremony. No one really noticed since everyone's attention was turned to Ron and Hermione, but it was rather interesting. Whenever Harry turned to look at Izzy, she would look somewhere else, and pretend that she hadn't been looking. When Izzy dared to look at him again, Harry would smirk as if to say _'I caught you!'_, and he would give her a small wink, which would then cause her to blush and look somewhere else again.

When it was time for Ron and Hermione to exchange rings, Harry and Izzy watched with distant looks on their faces, both day dreaming of the day when they'll be standing right where their best friends are, exchanging vows and rings with each other. Harry was picturing himself putting a ring on Izzy's finger when his daydream was ruined by the thought of Everard IV. He suddenly envisioned a Michael-Corner-looking kind of guy being married to Izzy, and immediately shook his head to remove the image from his mind. He still didn't know what the guy looked like—which is why he imagined him looking like Michael Corner, the only bloke whom he had common ex girlfriends with. Somewhere beside Izzy, Ginny caught Parvati and Lavender's eyes, and signaled for them to take a look at the two lovers-in-denial, causing them to snigger in their seats. It was definitely Ron and Hermione's wedding, but to these girls, the really interesting show wasn't at the altar but right beside them—with the best man and the maid of honor as lead characters.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

"Whew. Hi, you guys! What a relief to be in this table! All this going around is making me thirsty. Are you drinking that, Iz? Thanks!", Hermione said, grabbing the glass of margarita from Izzy's hand.

"I was actually gonna drink that. But since you're already drinking it—oh sorry, since you've already finished it, I guess there's nothing more to drink, huh?", Izzy snorted.

"Thanks Iz, you're the perfect friend!", Hermione grimaced.

"Ah, relax! Stay here for as long as you like to avoid the other guests! Make Ron suffer by letting him handle them", Ginny said.

"I can't do that!", she argued.

"Oh yes you can! You're his wife now, remember?", Ginny winked.

"Hmm. You've got a point there! Ah, this is the life! I can feel the power!", Hermione said as she grabbed a chair and settled in between Ginny and Izzy at their table.

Izzy reached for the menu. "You want more of that? How about you Ginny, what would you like to drink?"

"I'll have a margarita as well", Ginny said.

"Okay. I'm going for the strawberry daiquiri. Mmm, Strawberries!", Izzy said excitedly. Then she held up the menu and recited, "Two margaritas and one strawberry daiquiri".

. And at once, three crystal glasses of colorful beverages appeared on their table.

"Cheers!", Ginny said as they got one each.

"Drinking so early, girls?", Draco asked them. He had just approached the table where the girls were currently seated, with Harry close behind.

"Why, is there something wrong about having a little fun? And if I know you well, I'd bet that you've had a couple of drinks already as well.", Hermione said as a way of acknowledging his presence.

"I'm impressed! You do know well! And I think there's gonna be a third drink for me, right… now.", he said as he settled beside Ginny and ordered a whole bottle of Firewhiskey.

"What did you order a whole bottle for? Don't tell me you're gonna finish that all by yourself!", Izzy said.

"Of course not. Harry'll help me, right?", he winked at Harry.

"Sure, I'll take two shots, and the rest is yours", he replied with a snigger.

"Whatever suits you, pothead! But I doubt it if you'll put the glass down after 2 shots. It seems to me a little more firewhiskey than usual should do the trick for you tonight!", Draco said just before pouring himself some alcohol.

"Ah, no, no. It's not me who needs the extra kick, you know. Why not ask Izzy? With the way she was day dreaming during the wedding ceremony, I think she's the one here who needs the alcohol", Harry joked.

Ginny coughed. She was halfway through her drink and it most certainly looked like she was almost about to spurt the margarita out of her mouth because of Harry's sudden joke.

"Hey! I was not day dreaming!", Izzy said defensively.

"Oh yes you were!", he retorted.

"And what would I be day dreaming about?", she asked challengingly.

"I dunno with you. You're the only one who could answer that.", Harry shrugged, and then he followed-up, "Oh, but wait! Let me see….". Harry rubbed his chin.

He coughed. And oddly enough it sounded like….

_coughmarryingcoughmecough_

"_Excuse me?!_ _What_ was that?", Izzy narrowed her eyes.

"What?! Nothing! I coughed! Is it illegal to cough? Should I arrest myself?", he smirked.

"Oh, you think you're being funny, don't you?", Izzy raised her eyebrows and looked around the table for something. When she hadn't found what she'd been looking for, she grabbed her glass of strawberry daiquiri, removed the ornamental umbrella on it and faced Harry.

"You know, it maybe small, but this toothpick umbrella has a rather pointy edge, don't you think? Do you really want to get acquainted with it today?", Izzy tilted her head and asked Harry, pointing the toothpick umbrella at the area in between his eyes.

Harry's eyes widened as the toothpick became dangerously close to him.

"H—hey, I—I could find a jam spreader for you—i—if you like. J—just put that…thing…away from me.", he said while blinking rapidly.

"Aah. That's more like it. Strawberry?", she asked, plucking the piece of strawberry that was mounted on the rim of her glass.

"Er—no, thanks. They don't really go that well with firewhiskey. If I eat a strawberry right after a shot the flavor's just so—", Harry was stopped from what he was saying when Izzy took the strawberry in her mouth very slowly, very seductively—something she deliberately did to distract Harry.

Harry watched open-mouthed as Izzy licked her fingers. He was shook by Hermione who elbowed him out of his trance, coupled with fits of giggles.

"The flavor's so what Harry?", Hermione giggled.

"Er—what?"

"The flavor! You know, of the strawberry after a shot of firewhiskey!", Ginny helped fill Harry in.

"Oh, that! Er—it's off. There's this weird after taste, yeah, that's it!", Harry said.

"It's okay if you don't want it. I just ate the strawberry", Izzy remarked.

"Yeah. We all saw that, Iz", Draco rolled his eyes.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

"Uncle Hawwy! Uncle Dwaco!", Teddy ran towards their table.

"Is that my little Teddy boy? Oh come here! Ah! You still have that blond hair on, eh? Looks brilliant!", Harry gave Teddy a high five and carried him onto his lap.

"Oh there you are! I've been looking for all of you!", Andromeda Tonks told the group.

"Oh hi, Aunt Andromeda! I must say, you look smashing!", Draco said.

"Have you been drinking again, Draco?", Andromeda raised her eyebrows.

Draco raised his glass of firewhiskey and shrugged his shoulders.

"Could you get yourself sobered with a coffee? Or perhaps a sobering potion? Just get out of here, you're being a bad influence to your nephew!", Andromeda shooed Draco away, feeling very protective of her grandson.

"Okay, okay! Relax! I'm getting myself some coffee!", Draco said irritably as he walked away.

"Right. Hermione, Ron needs your help. He requested me to tell you that. You know you should really go with him. He's about to approach your bosses' table. You don't want him to do that alone, do you? Who knows what he might say?", Andromeda said.

"Oh no! You're right! Sorry guys, but my career is at stake here. Sometimes you just can't trust the words of your own husband. I'll try to go back.", she told them, and then she left to help Ron.

"Ah, now that that's settled, I need to ask you a favor, Harry. Can you please please, watch over Teddy for me for a while? I really need to go back to Arthur and Molly's side.", Andromeda said.

"Why, sure—there's no—", Harry began.

"Why? What's wrong with my parents?", Ginny asked Andromeda.

"Oh it's your mother, Ginny. She still sobbing about how his little baby boy is all grown up and already married. She really needs to calm down, she's starting to frighten the other guests, you know", Andromeda explained.

"I'm coming with you. I think I know how to help calm her down. She is my mother, after all. Where is she?", Ginny asked.

"Over there, near the little fountain. Harry, will it be okay for you to watch Teddy?", Andromeda asked.

"Of course of course. I'd be delighted to spend some quality time with my godson. You go ahead", he smiled at her.

"Thank you, Harry", she replied and proceeded to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's table with Ginny at her side.

Now, with Hermione, Draco and Ginny gone, Harry and Izzy were left alone—well, with Teddy of course. But where was Teddy? Harry only just realized that the little boy had gone off his lap and was nowhere near in sight.

"Teddy? Oh where has he gone this time?", Harry groaned.

"You know he can't get that far away from us. He was just here a minute ago", Izzy said.

Harry flipped the table cloth to check under the table. And there he was, a little four year old boy, making a fart-sound with his mouth when Harry found him.

"Hihi! You found me!", Teddy giggled.

When Teddy emerged from under the table, Izzy sniggered behind her hand.

"What?", Harry asked her.

"It's just—his hair! He copied you! You look like his father!", Izzy chuckled.

"Really?!", Harry said in an interesting tone, and took the opportunity to whisper something in Teddy's ear. Teddy giggled for a while and then he closed his eyes. When he opened them once more, his eyes were already violet—exactly the shade of violet of Izzy's eyes.

Izzy stopped giggling.

"Harry! You've made him look like—", she didn't really want to continue her sentence.

"Like what? Like our son?", Harry smirked. Izzy folded her arms.

Harry and Izzy were unaware that some reporters have been watching them.

"_Hey who's the little boy? Why does he have the trademark Potter hair? Only Potters have those, you know the messy jet black hair?"_

"_But isn't Harry the only Potter left? Does this mean what I think it means?"_

"_What?"_

"_That this boy is Harry Potter's son!"_

"_What?! Harry Potter has a son? With whom though?"_

"_I dunno. Oh, oh!! Check the eyes! They're—they're violet, right? That's very rare, isn't it? I think it was last seen in the Black family. One of their sons I think."_

"_Who can the mother be? She must have violet eyes!"_

"_Why don't you take a look at the girl next to Potter?"_

"_What, Ysovielle de Lune? The Greek princess?"_

"_Yes. That's the one. Take a look at her eyes—they're—"_

"_Violet."_

"_Interesting."_

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

A/N: Oh I'm glad you're still reading. Hang on alright? You might be happy to know that the wedding isn't over yet. There are still a lot of things that I wanted to happen on this special day so I've decided to devote more than just one chapter for this event. The next chapter will still be about the wedding, so hang on! I hoped you enjoyed this chapter though. Tell me what you think! :p


	13. Take A Bow Again

Disclaimer: I own not a single thing that you can read from JK Rowling's books. Everything is hers. But if anyone dares to claim Izzy as theirs, hah! I dunno what I'll do.

**Chapter 13: Take A Bow Again**

"Ah, I see you've dropped the firewhiskey and traded it for coffee. How very—uncharacteristic of you, Draco, very out of character. Are you trying to prove that you should have been one of the groomsmen instead of me?", Blaise taunted his friend, flaunting the fact that he was one of the groomsmen of Ron, not Draco.

"Not everything is about you Blaise. My Aunt shooed me away from Teddy. And now I'm getting coffee, or else she won't stay away from my heels. And stop shoving your groomsmenhood to my face!"

"Groomsmenhood? Is that even a word?"

"Whatever. It's not like you were chosen for it. You're only there because of Parvati. Surely you knew that! They really wanted Longbottom, not you. Parvati just begged with all her might.", Draco rolled his eyes.

"At least I'm in. Unlike you.", Blaise smirked.

"Uncle Dwaco, uncle dwaco!! Where've you been? You disappeared! Poof!", Teddy made some elaborate actions with his small hands.

Draco coughed, choked, and almost spit out the coffee he was drinking when he saw his nephew.

"Choke much, Draco?", Blaise raised his eyebrows.

"You'd choke too if you see this!", Draco said, picking up Teddy from his side and putting him on his lap for Blaise to see.

"Hey there pumpkin!", Draco greeted his nephew. It's Blaise's turn to choke.

"He looks like—he's like—"

"Harry. Yes. I know. But that's not all.", Draco smirked.

"It's not? What else?"

"Look at his eyes"

"What about them?"

"They're Izzy's. That sneaky sneaky guy, using my nephew to his advantage!", Draco shook his head as he realized that this must have been Harry's idea.

"Hey, Marius! Why don't you call everyone! We're having a conference about you-know-what!", Draco called out to Marius. And within minutes, the whole table was packed with people—Seamus and Lavender, Parvati and Blaise, Charlie, George and Angelina (his girlfriend), Ginny, and Dean.

Ron and Hermione were missing because they were obviously busy with their party. Bill, Fleur, Percy and Audrey—well, they're with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. And of course, Harry and Izzy—they shouldn't be there for this meeting was actually about them. They have been cooking up a plan just for the wedding reception and George was in charge of the whole thing. They discussed the final plan and its flow—how it was going to be executed and how they were to avoid little loopholes.

"So, that's it? Everything ready?", Draco asked George after they have finished discussing the flow of their plan.

"I've got it all under control.", George smirked.

"Uh huh. Ron told me he'll try to get the word out to the others. Just in case. To be sure", Ginny replied.

"Good good. We really need to scatter now. I can see Harry and Izzy approaching", Draco suggested, and everyone found something else to do and somewhere else to hang out. The only ones left were Draco, George, Marius and Teddy. Draco wanted to tease Harry and Izzy about their new 'son', while George and Marius wanted to take Harry away and update him with the plans he has cooked up for the night.

"Teddy, I want you to be quiet about the things you've just heard, alright? It's a secret, and a surprise for your Uncle Harry and Auntie Izzy, okay?", Draco asked his nephew cautiously.

"Okay. A secwet? And suwpwise? I won't tell!", Teddy looked up at Draco and nodded his head very solemnly.

"Good boy!", George messed his hair up—which didn't really make any difference since Teddy had the _Harry Potter_ hair on, which is always messy, no matter what anybody did to it.

"Mmm, I see you've found your uncle Draco, Teddy!", Izzy approached them when she spotted them.

"Uh huh! He was wyt heeere!!", Teddy told her.

"You know I didn't recognize him at first. Thought he was some long lost kid Harry didn't know he had with some girl", Draco said while stretching his hands. Teddy copied him.

"Oh, that. Yeah, He dropped the blond hair and copied mine. Dunno why though. It's funny really, people have been asking me earlier if I have a son", Harry chuckled.

"He really does look like your son, Harry. I love what you've done with your hair, Teddy, nice job! And your eyes too! You look like Harry and Izzy's son! You want that don't you? Harry as your new daddy and Izzy as your new mommy?", George joked.

"Dada! Mama!", Teddy grinned widely.

"Teddy! You two, stop putting unnecessary things in the boy's head!", Izzy told them off.

"This one really learns fast, huh?", Marius observed loudly, ignoring what Izzy had just said.

"Of course. What do you expect from someone who has twice the maurader blood in him—a Lupin and a Black all at the same time!", George said.

"Yeah I guess that's where he gets the pranking tendencies. Aren't you the little pranker, eh, Teddy?", Harry asked his nephew who just nodded and yawned.

"Aaaw. The little pranker is sleepy, and about to sign off too!", Marius said.

"Oh you poor boy. This whole event must have tired you a lot, hasn't it?", Izzy said as she reached out to Teddy and carried him in her arms.

"Ooh. Looks like someone's taking the new mother role to heart!", Marius teased. And the three men with him sniggered.

"Shut up, Marius! Or I'm gonna have to find a jam spreader somewhere in this garden and make sure it hits you in the head! The boy's sleepy. Let him rest", Izzy rolled his eyes and took Teddy to his grandmother.

"Oh she is just so fiery tonight. Have you told her already, Harry?", Draco asked his partner.

"No. Not yet. I'm waiting for the right timing. So, what have you planned for tonight? I know there's something…", Harry narrowed his eyes, waiting for an answer.

"Ah. We actually wanted to explain that to you. You see Harry…", George began, and then he whispered the rest of the plan in Harry's ear. Harry's smile widened with every minute that had passed. It seems that whatever it is the boys have planned for him and Izzy, it was….

"Brilliant! I've never heard of a more manipulated plan! This involves too many pep talks, and cooperation from lots of people—are you sure you've got it covered?", Harry asked.

"Don't worry, Harry. We're sure. All you have to do is to enjoy how things are gonna turn out. We promise you it will be a big night", Marius winked.

"Sounds fantastic", he smirked evilly.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

George looked at the face of his watch one last time, and when he had decided that it was the right time, he went on stage did a little sonorous charm on his throat and opened the show.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, and those in between, how are you doing so far tonight? Having fun? Getting a bit drunk? Or perhaps totally pissed? Hold your horses people! The night is far from over. In fact, it's just about to start!", George said with a mysterious tone on his voice that earned him an excited applause from the crowd.

"It's time for some muggle wedding traditions in honor of my newest sister-in-law, Hermione Granger Weasley—who is in fact, a muggleborn and proud to be one!", he held a hand up towards the place where Hermione was currently seated. She stood up and did a small curtsy as the spotlight hit her.

"Why don't you join me up here, Hermione? I'll be needing you for the first tradition. You know what's coming up, don't you?", George asked the crowd and even gave them a wink. They all cheered.

"I know for a fact that even if these are muggle traditions, you all know them very well. They're quite popular in wizarding weddings nowadays, aren't they? It makes weddings more lively and more exciting too, don't you think? Now, all the single ladies out there, would you care to join me and this beautiful bride? I know you want to!", he added.

Izzy, who was seated right next to Ginny, didn't really want to join in this little _game._ She knew what this was all about, for like George said, these muggle wedding traditions were the hottest trends for wizarding weddings nowadays. They were about to do the bouquet toss. But even if Izzy didn't want to go, Ginny left her with no option when she took her hand, and pulled her out of her seat and onto the stage.

"So, are you ready girls? Hmm?", George asked them. He looked questioningly at Hermione, silently asking if all those girls on stage were aware of the plan. Hermione smiled at George, gave him a small wink and a smirk at the side of her mouth. And George knew that everything was going according to plan.

"Okay now, my dear sister-in-law, throw the bouquet at your own time!", George said.

Hermione waited for a few seconds before she finally threw the bouquet. The bunch of flowers followed a trajectory for what seemed like ages (at least in Izzy's point of view). It was like the world spun in slow motion. There were a lot of pushing and pulling among the girls and before she knew it, Izzy was right in the middle of the stage, just at the point where the bouquet would obviously land. She was looking at it with a dumbstruck expression, her mind barely registering the fact that she was in the perfect place to catch the bouquet. And at the last second a lot of things happened. Ginny pushed Izzy's elbows upward to force her to catch the bouquet, while the girls around Izzy, somewhat parted, refusing to catch it. And so Izzy caught it, while everyone who was in on the plan smiled triumphantly. Part 1 of the plan, accomplished.

"Ah! And so, our dear Ms. Ysovielle de Lune caught the bouquet of white roses! Ah, but that makes all the sense in the world! I believe you're turning 21 next month, am I right, Izzy? And so you're going to be engaged soon?", he asked her.

"Ah—yeah. I am.", she replied sheepishly.

"No surprises there, everyone! She's really just about the next person in here to be married, duh! She's turning 21 and she has no choice but to get married since she's royalty, right? The question is, who will be the lucky guy to catch the famous garter?", George said, and the crowd started murmuring.

"Where's my dear brother—Ronniekins! Yeah, that's what we used to call him at home—Ronniekins, or ickle Ronnie. Oh there you are! Time to get that garter off your wife's leg!", George told his brother.

When he finally got the garter off Hermione's leg, George called the bachelors up the stage. This time, he was sure that all the bachelors assembled knew of the plan—they were made up mostly of the ones who cooked up the plan anyway.

When Ron threw the garter, every guy on stage folded his arms, except for one—Harry. Harry held up his right hand, and as if catching a snitch with his seeker-trained hands, he caught the garter right on time.

"Oooh. Pretty interesting. But really, I _should _have expected that. After all, don't these two have some sort of _history_? For those guests of Ron and Hermione who don't know, Ms. de Lune and Mr. Potter, used to be a couple back at Hogwarts. Now now, of course, who would want to cross the boy-who-lived-turned-man-who-conquered, eh? No one, of course! Unless you're an insane maniac who thinks he can do better than you-know-who, mmm?", George joked, and the people laughed. It was a common joke nowadays—taunting anyone who argues with Harry as seeing himself as someone who can do better than Voldemort. After all, he did kill him, right in front of hundreds of people too.

"I think I smell something like a _getting-back-together _dance!", Marius shouted from the crowd.

"Ooh. That sounds like a great idea, Marius! But let's make them do that after Harry puts the garter on Izzy's leg, shall we? Now, now, don't be shy, Harry and Izzy. Why don't you take a seat, Iz? There you go!", George helped Izzy on a stool. Harry took his time in slipping the garter up Izzy's leg. She stiffened like a board at Harry's touch. His hands were so gentle and yet so firm, sliding the garter up her legs, and past her knees like that. The press became alive once more, with cameras flashing here and there, and reporters, scribbling down notes furiously.

"Ahem, hem! Camera men and reporters, it's your field day isn't it?", the crowd laughed at George's remark.

"Ah! There you go! It's finally done! You can stop blushing now, both of you! Now, how about that dance Marius suggested, mmm?", he asked them. And of course, with the press watching, they had no choice but to allow themselves to be stirred by George's manipulation. Well, actually it was only Izzy who was being manipulated. Harry knew of the plan—so he knew exactly that this was going to happen.

"Interesting. Very interesting indeed! You all know of course that muggle traditions say that the woman who catches the bouquet will be the next one to marry and the man who catches the garter will be the next one to marry as well, right? But I heard somewhere that there's this twist to the tradition. Some people believe that they're not just the next people to be married—they're actually gonna get married, to each other! Don't you think that's interesting? I wonder…are we actually looking at the future Mr. and Mrs. Potter? Think about that!", George said to the crowd just before taking off the sonorus charm on his throat. His voice was back to normal volume now.

While Harry and Izzy were making their way to the dance floor, Ron and George had a little conversation on stage.

"I never knew you had a thing for planning romantic moments and setting up future spouses. Is that your new job? Have you always dreamed of doing that? I thought you owned a loser joke shop somewhere in Diagon alley?", Ron joked.

"And I thought you managed the very same shop you're calling a loser shop.", George said with a comeback.

"Hey! I just insulted your own shop, didn't you get it?", Ron defended himself.

"Doesn't bother me. But I think it does bother you. You practically insulted yourself, kiddo. Not a good trick", George smirked.

"Ah. They're ready aren't they? Now, for some music!", George raised his wand. "

"Oooh the press is gonna have a field day with this one", Ron said.

"I admit, I can't help but agree with you on that", George nodded.

Izzy's eyes widened when she heard the introduction of the song they were about to dance to. It was _Take A Bow—_the very same song they danced to at the Yule Ball during their sixth year.

_Take a bow, the night is over_

_This masquerade is getting older_

_Lights are low, the curtains down_

_There's no one here_

The first few seconds of Harry and Izzy's dancing was plain boring. They were dancing stiffly, and with about a feet's distance from each other. They weren't even talking or looking at one another. The reason for this was—they were both thinking of how to say what they wanted to say.

_Is this song a sign? A sign that I must tell him about my stupidity now? I mean, Marius is right when he told me that I must be the one to tell Harry that I never forgot him. But how can I tell it to him without pushing him away from me forever?, _Izzy thought.

_Is this the right moment? Shall I tell her that I know she's just pretending? If I do there'll be no turning back—the games will have to start. Everything I have planned must be put to action, and I'm going to win her back for good. Yeah, I think it's time, _Harry decided quietly.

_Say your lines but do you feel them_

_Do you mean what you say when there's no one around?_

_Watching you, watching me, one lonely star_

With Harry's decision in mind, he pulled Izzy towards him, closing the 1-foot gap that was there earlier. And then, he whispered in her ear.

"You know, this is pretty much like the dance we had during our Yule Ball. It is the same song.", he whispered.

Izzy didn't really know how to respond to that so she just remained silent and unresponsive. Gathering all her courage, Izzy put her head on Harry's shoulder. She feared that if she tells him tonight, this might be the last time she'll ever get this close to him. She wanted to remember every moment of it before it was gone.

The cameras flashed everywhere. This really was their field day, as George had said earlier. There were too many cameras focused on them that it looked as if this was their wedding. Back on stage, George was pointing out the same thing to Ron.

"Hey is this still your wedding or what? Looks like Harry's the groom and Izzy's the bride. Are you sure it's not their wedding?", George teased Ron.

"Of course I'm sure. Hey, one day they'll have their own wedding, and I'll be the best man, and Hermione's gonna be the maid of honor.", Ron said.

"How sure are you that Harry's gonna make you his best man? What if he asks Draco instead?"

"Oh there's no way that's gonna happen", Ron said defensively but there was a little doubt that can be heard from his voice.

"I dunno. Harry and Draco spend an awful lot of time together.", George said, ending their conversation for good as this line shut Ron up.

Meanwhile, at the dance floor, with spotlights on them, Harry and Izzy were still dancing. Harry decided to continue their conversation even if Izzy wasn't reacting to the things he was saying.

"You even sang the lyrics to me, I remember that so clearly.", he continued, recalling the Yule Ball they attended together.

Then just as the song came to its chorus, it was Harry's turn to sing the song this time around.

"_I've always been in love with you._

_I guess you've always known it's true. _

_You took my love for granted why, oh why?_

_The show is over say goodbye.", _Harry sang as he felt Izzy stiffen under his touch.

"You know, it's good that you're here. I thought you wouldn't come you know. And to think I wanted to tell you something important", Harry said.

"Why did you think I would skip this? Hermione is my best girl friend! Of course I'll be here!", Izzy spoke for the first time.

"Well, you were a bridesmaid for Bill and Fleur's wedding—but you weren't there."

"Of course not! I was there! You're the one who wasn't!", she said defensively.

"I _was _there! Only I was disguised. It was the height of the war and the Order told me to be under a disguise. I was one of the Weasleys' cousins.", he said.

Izzy suddenly sniggered. "This is really funny. I guess I didn't see you because you were in a disguise and you didn't see me as well because I was under a disguise too. I was still a bridesmaid though", she winked.

"Oh! You're that bridesmaid I kept cursing! Because you replaced you! Does that make sense? Oh, but you get what I mean", Harry chuckled.

There was an awkward silence after their laughter died.

"But I'm really glad you're here. I wanted to tell you something.", Harry said.

Izzy's eyes widened. Whatever it is Harry is about to say, she didn't want him to say it without proper judgment. He must know the truth before he says something that might complicate things.

"Wait. Harry. Before you say anything, _I _have to tell you something. Something really important—a blunder that I made 4 years ago. This might make a difference in what you're about to say. Although I'm not really sure. But you see four years ago when I woke up from my coma—remember that day? When I woke up not remembering you at all. It wasn't real. I—I never really—uhm—forgot you—I was just—er—uhm—pretedning", Izzy winced as she waited for Harry's reply. She was expecting Harry to burst out it anger.

"I know.", Harry said quietly. Izzy's mind didn't really register what he had said. All she knew was Harry didn't shout at her in anger. So that must mean it's a good sign. And that there's a chance for her to be forgiven.

"Oh thank Merlin! You don't know how relieved I am to hear tha—What?", Izzy finally realized what Harry had just said.

"I said, I know. You know, I know!", Harry smirked.

"What do you mean you know?!"

"I already know that you're just pretending!"

"What? Since when?"

"Since before you arrived. I overheard you and Draco talking about it over the floo. I mean, who wouldn't Draco was shouting all over the place.", Harry shrugged.

Izzy didn't know what to say. She just stood there, with her eyes as wide as plates.

"Don't worry, Iz! I'm not mad. And most of all, your secret's safe with me. Oh wait, I forgot—it isn't. Everyone else knows.", Harry said, and then he looked around at everyone who was in on the plan, signaling a thumbs up behind Izzy for them to see. It told them that he's already done his part—he already told Izzy about his knowledge of her pretending act.

Izzy shook her head, and snorted with laughter. She realized that the whole thing—the whole night had been planned just for this moment and that this must have been the biggest prank anyone ever played on her.

_Oh this is going to be a long long night. I'm gonna need some firewhiskey, _Izzy thought with a grimace.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO **

A/N: I know, I know, I let you wait for a week. I do hope that you'd find the wait worth it. :S. Work's tough. It's my first week at my first job ever and my workplace is really far from my house. That's why I haven't been able to update as often as I have before. I suggest you expect this update rate from me from now on. Sorry. :s. I hope you'll still be reading my work :S


	14. Izzy, Love

Disclaimer: I don't own JK Rowling's stuff. That's it. It gets a little tiring after a few chapters of repeatedly disclaiming claiming things.

**Chapter 14: Izzy, Love**

She squinted as the sunlight hurt her eyes. And then a second later she forgot all about the sunlight. By instinct, she winced, and put her palm against her forehead. She was having the worst hangover of her life.

"Great! If only Greece can see me now! Then they might think twice in having me as their queen. Oh look at the great Ysovielle de Lune, suffering from a massive headache caused by her failed suicide-by-drinking attempt all because of Harry freakin' Potter!", Izzy groaned. All her ranting made her head throb more and more because of pain.

"You know it's really easy to make that hangover go away, right? Mum keeps a hangover potion in the medicine cabinet downstairs, and in a matter of minutes, you'll be as perfect as ever!, Ginny's voice said. This made Izzy jump. She's forgotten that she wasn't alone—in fact, she was currently inside Ginny's bedroom.

"Oh. I forgot that I was actually here. Aaaaaargh! There's no way I'm leaving this room, not after what happened last night!", Izzy groaned.

Indeed, last night was a very embarrassing night for Izzy. She never really learns from her mistakes. After all the guests at Ron and Hermione's wedding had gone away, and after Ron and Hermione bade them all goodbye to head for Paris for their honeymoon, the rest of the Weasleys, Harry, Marius, Izzy, Andromeda and Teddy all proceeded to the Burrow.

Andromeda was invited by Mrs. Weasley to stay with them for the night, since Teddy had fallen asleep and it's along way to their house. And besides, the whole family thought it would do Mrs. Weasley some good to have Andromeda around for a few days. Merlin knows it will keep her mind off Ron being married for a while. Izzy offered Percy's room to Andromeda and Teddy, saying she wanted to stay with Ginny that night.

Harry on the other hand, didn't need a formal invitation to be asked to stay for the night—he was practically family, anyway. He stayed in Ron's room—which was now occupied due to being in his own honeymoon.

"Hmm, you know what, you have a point there. I mean, if I were in your place, why would I go down and face the very people who saw me pissed last night just to get me some hangover potion? If it were me I'd change my name, hide in a distant country, and live as a muggle. Or I'll stay here all day—never mind if I die right in this room. I just won't let them—and most especially Harry, ever see me again", Ginny said sarcastically.

"Ouch!", Ginny dodged a pillow.

"There'll be more from where they came from if you don't shut your mouth. I'm serious Ginny! It's not _just_ about getting drunk. Harry knows! Didn't _I_ tell you that? Wasn't it obvious last night? Why else would I get drunk like that?", Izzy explained.

"And your point is?"

"My point is, he knows! Isn't that a good enough point for you?"

"And so what if he knows? He's not mad, Izzy! In fact, he's trying to win you back! Or are you too dense to see that for yourself? I thought you're about as smart as Hermione?", Ginny crossed her arms.

"Aaagh! I don't care! I just—I—ah! That's it! Where's Marius? Is he in his room?! I need to see him—right now!!", Izzy said all of a sudden and she stood up, and was about to turn the bedroom door's handle. Then she stopped.

"Oh. B—but Marius' room is way up there right? A—and t—to go there you have to pass by—Har—er—Ron's room, right?", Izzy checked this information with Ginny, looking like a paranoid little girl.

Ginny chuckled. "Would you look at yourself, Izzy! You're acting like someone on the run! Calm down, won't you? First of all, Marius isn't here. He left early for a meeting. And secondly, you might be very very relieved to know that Harry went to that meeting with Marius. And so, there's no need for your day to be full of paranoia and hiding. Why were you looking for Marius anyway?"

Izzy sighed. "I—I wanted to go home—right now. Er—Are you sure—they—they're really not here?", Izzy double checked.

"Uh huh. I'm sure. They're not here. And wait, what do you mean you want to get home? You know that's not possible! It takes several days in advance to schedule an international portkey activation. You can't just leave now! And it's not like you can go back to Greece illegally! They'll know! Since, duh, you're their queen. Now, why don't we get some breakfast? Your sudden insanity is making me hungry.", Ginny rubbed her stomach.

Although Izzy followed Ginny down the stairs, it was as if she wasn't even inside the Burrow. Her mind was drifting away, making her totally incapable of listening to whatever it is Ginny had been telling her all the way to the kitchen. She was thinking of last night's events. Her memories of Harry's revelation was very clear in her mind. This came as no surprise to her. She wasn't drunk yet when he told her everything. In fact, it was the very reason why she got drunk in the first place. What really surprised Izzy was the fact that she remembered in perfect detail the events that took place after she had finished a whole bottle of firewhiskey. She was supposed to be drunk by then—really, she had been swaying as she walked towards the kitchen door, but her mind was more sober than ever.

It was weird yet funny, the way she didn't have control of her emotions, and her actions while she was drunk and yet she was fully aware of them. It was like being under a milder imperius curse—you can't fight the voice inside your head and so you do what it tells you too and yet when the curse has been lifted, you remember exactly what it is that you have done.

And that's what happened last night. She lost control, and yet she remembered. Things may have turned out better for her today if she just forgot about the whole night. How she wished she could have just forgotten, or that she could just find it in herself to pretend she has forgotten. But then again, didn't she try that a few years ago, only to realize that she isn't capable of such a feat? There's no point in trying to run away. She'd just have to deal with it.

_Flashback…_

"_Who told—hic—you—I'm drunk? Am not!! Am not!!", Izzy shouted at Harry's face, which caused it to crumple, his eyes wincing and his nose wrinkling. _

"_Right. You're not drunk. Really, you aren't! Who told you you were drunk, anyway?", George said sarcastically. _

"_Oy! D'you tink I'm stu—pid? I know you're making fun of me—aren't you? Arenchoo?"_

"_George, just let me handle this, okay?", Harry asked George as he supported Izzy in her walking. _

"_Okay okay", George lifted his hands up in surrender. "What did you ever do to her to make her want to drink herself to death?", he asked. _

"_Oh, I told her. You know, that I already knew", Harry grimaced. _

"_Oh, that's why!", Ginny said from behind them. _

"_What's why??", Izzy suddenly shouted. Harry, surprised by her shouting, almost dropped her, and with his quidditch reflexes, picked her up just in time. _

_Izzy giggled. Their faces were inches apart from one another. _

"_Haaaaaryyyy!! I like your eyes! Do you know that? They're sooooooo greeeeen!", she said. Behind them, Ginny and George sniggered, along with all the other people who were in the Burrow's kitchen—Charlie, Marius, Draco and Mr. Weasley. _

"_Er—Izzy, I better get you coffee. Yeah, that's right. Uhm—do you want some coffee? You really need to—", Harry said frantically but Izzy put her finger against Harry's mouth. _

"_Sshhhh! Why only Izzy? You—hic—know—hic—Harry, I missed the way you—hic—used to call me. Izzy, love!! You called me—dat! Izzy, your love!! Izzy love!!", she grinned with sleepy eyes. _

"_What?!", Harry asked dumbfoundedly._

"_Izzy, love!", she repeated. _

"_Oh!", Harry said as he realized that Izzy was backtracking to the days when they were pretending to be a couple to make Ginny jealous. His term of endearment for her was 'love'. _

"_Do you know that—hic—that your lips taste sooooooooooo good? Can I taste them again? Pleeeeeeeaaaase? Come on! Harry! Harry! Haaaaa-reeeeee! For Izzy love?", Izzy cut Harry off like a little girl begging for sweets, coupled with a pout on her face. _

_And bit by bit, Izzy closes the gap between them. Harry's eyes widened when he realized what she was trying to do, and immediately distances himself from her. It's not that he didn't want to kiss her. Merlin knows he'd want that more than anything else in the world—but just not when she's drunk and doesn't know what she's doing. _

_But Izzy was faster. She moves forward all of a sudden, planting a small kiss on Harry's lips. Harry's eyes widens even more (if that was possible), and Izzy giggles uncontrollably. _

"_For someone who's drunk, Izzy love seems to have a pretty good aim. Don't you think?", Marius joked. _

_Izzy, even though she was drunk, took advantage of Harry's obvious surprise to strike once more. But this time, she's up for more. She moves forward for another kiss—but a more passionate one. It was sweet, tender and yet very passionate—as if Izzy put every emotion inside of her into that kiss. That kiss was so alive that it was hard to believe that Izzy was actually drunk. It took Harry about 10 seconds before he found the strength to pull away. _

"_Izzy, Izzy listen to me!", Harry grasped Izzy by the shoulders. "Oh dear. I can't do this. Merlin, help me! You are drunk! So, I—I really need to—erm—get you some—uhm coffee", Harry said with his eyes tightly shut. The onlookers can be heard sniggering still somewhere in the kitchen. _

_"Harry you're such a jerk!", Izzy punched him lightly on the chest. "D—don't spoil all the fun! You know what—I hate you! You must be the biggest—hic—jerk I ever knew! Why? Why didn't you tell me that you knew? But then again you probably think I'm a total bitch for pretending to forget you right? Yeah. That's right. I can't blame you for me being stupid!", Izzy rambled. But Harry wasn't listening. _

"_Right, you really are", Harry said mindlessly, and with a lot of effort too. His eyes were still shut tighter than usual. It was like he was trying to take something off his mind._

_But Izzy continued her drunk-talk. "I know, I know! Funny I think that's the word of the night. Oh wait, that's 2 words—I and know! Hhihihihi!!", Izzy giggled like a true drunkard. _

"_WAIT!!", Harry shouted desperately. "I have to think! Think.Think of something disgusting! Malfoy in a tutu!", Harry said out loud. _

_Hey! I heard that, pothead!", Draco spoke. _

"_Okay, it's not working, er—Voldemort in polka dot underwear.", Harry tried again. _

"_Hahaha! Now that's really funny!", Izzy giggled. _

"_No wait.. Umbridge in a bikini.", Harry finally said. _

"_Ugh. Where do you get those ideas from? That's just totally disgusting, Harry! If anything could distract you—that one should!", George said in disgust. _

"_I bet that one worked, did it, potty?", Draco asked. _

_Harry had no time to answer Draco's question. There was a loud thump and Izzy was suddenly on the floor—unconscious. And that's the last thing Izzy remembers. _

…_End flashback._

"Hullo Ginny! Oh good morning, Izzy love!", George greeted the two girls with a huge grin on her face.

"Shut it George! Izzy's got a hangover. If you've got nothing better to do than to tease her, you might as well get her some potion. That way, you can do on teasing her with less threat of a jam spreader.", Ginny said.

"Good morning you two.", Charlie greeted them after George had left for the medicine cabinet.

"Morning Charlie! Good morning mum, dad, Andromeda. Where's little Teddy?", Ginny asked them.

"Oh he's still upstairs in our room, sleeping. That one's a late riser. Likes to sleep a lot", she replied with a loving smile on her face. She always looks like that when she's talking about her grandson.

"Anyway, how did you two sleep? Are you quite alright, Izzy?", she asked concernedly seeing how Izzy was massaging her temples, obviously trying to make her hangover go away.

"Oh this is nothing. I just drank too much last night and hangover's getting the better of me this morning", she replied politely.

"Too right you did! Arthur told me what happened last night. Oh, Ysovielle de Lune, don't look at me like that! I know all about it! I am disappointed in you having to pretend about something like that! And breaking our Harry's heart—you should have seen him when you were gone! He was half-dead! Oh but past is past—just make sure you don't make the same mistake, dear.", Mrs. Weasley went from mad, to disappointed, to concerned, and loving. All in one breath.

"Er—of course, Mrs. Weasley", Izzy didn't know how to reply at being addressed by Mrs. Weasley like her very own daughter.

"Welcome to the family, Izzy love! Looks like we got more than one new family member last night! Good job Izzy love! Now, she scolds you like she scolds us!", George joked.

"George! Will you stop calling her Izzy love? Do you have the potion?", Ginny asked him.

"Yeah. Here you go, sister Izzy love!", he handed the potion to Izzy.

"Thanks", Izzy ignored George's teasing, and then she drank her potion.

"Feeling better?", Ginny asked her.

"Mmm hmmm. This stuff's great. Took my hangover within seconds!", Izzy looked at the empty vial—clearly impressed.

"Of course it's great! Mum made it, what do you expect?", Charlie grinned.

"Thanks Mrs. Weasley!", Izzy thanked her.

"No problem dear. You're as good as family, anyway", Mrs. Weasley smiled sincerely.

"Uh huh. But you have to promise us that you'll make being a family member official by getting married to Harry.", Charlie joked.

"Charlie!", Ginny told him off.

Mr. Weasley chuckled. "What's wrong with that, Ginny? Izzy here knows what Harry's been trying to do, right? He's trying to win her back. It's no secret now. And anyone can see that they're still smitten with one another. Merlin knows they're really made for each other! What do you say, Izzy? Give it a shot? Take Harry back!", Mr. Weasley grinned knowingly.

"Er—"

"Arthur! Don't pressure the girl. Izzy, don't listen to them. You alone should decide on matters like these. Listen to your heart, my dear. You'll never go wrong if you follow that, mmm? Now, how about some breakfast, girls? Who wants bacon?", Mrs. Weasley asked.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

"Ugh! My back really hurts.", Ginny groaned as she did some stretching.

"Are you okay, Ginny? What happened to your back, anyway?", Izzy asked her.

"Er—my back? Uhm—uh it's probably the position I slept in last night, yeah, that's probably it", Ginny said awkwardly. Izzy raised her eyebrows. She had a feeling Ginny wasn't being entirely truthful.

"Gin Gin? Your back still hurts? Ron's bed is really tough, eh? Hold on, lemme get you something from the medicine cabinet for that, okay?", Charlie told her before leaving the room.

"Ron's bed, Ginny? What's Charlie trying to say?", Izzy questioned her.

" I dunno. Ask him. Didn't get him either. Dunno what he's talking about.", she tried playing innocent, shrugging her shoulders for the full effect.

"Here you go Ginny!", Charlie said, sitting next to her and handing her a vial of a pinkish potion.

"Ah. Thanks, Charlie! That was quick, and thoughtful too!", Ginny kissed her brother on the cheek.

"Wow, I even get a kiss from my favorite sister!", Charlie teased.

"I'm your only sister, you prat! But you are my favorite older brother, don't worry", Ginny winked.

"Hey, you told Bill that he was your favorite older brother!", Charlie crossed his arms.

"Can't a girl change her mind? Well, actually, Bill really _was_ my favorite older brother. But ever since he married that—that whiny narcissistic girl, I was thrown totally out of the picture. So now, _you're_ my favorite older brother", she told Bill.

"How comforting it is to know that you're only second best. I guess I shouldn't get married so that I'll forever be your favorite brother", Charlie grimaced.

"Right, you are", Ginny grinned toothily.

"Uh huh. Anyway, how are you feeling, my favorite sister? Did the potion work?", he asked her.

"Yup. Of course it did—it's mum's! What did you expect! Thanks Again, Charls!", Ginny winked at him.

"Anything for little Gin Gin. Ei! Why'd you stay in Ron's room last night, anyway?", Charlie scratched his head.

"Ron's room, Ginny?!", Izzy suddenly stood up, raised her eyebrows at Ginny and started tapping her foot.

"Ooh. Didn't she know?", Charlie asked.

"No she didn't. But thanks to you now, she knows!", Ginny said sarcastically.

"So it's true? You slept in Ron's room? I thought I wasn't bothering you, sleeping there last night?", Izzy asked. The look on her face very much telling them that she was hurt.

"Or—or—oh! Wait, you stayed with—oh—", Izzy had a look of horror on her face.

"Oh really, Iz. You weren't a bother. You'll never be a bother by just sleeping over at my room. The problem was—well—you got drunk last night. A—and you know what happens—er—when you get drunk.", Ginny said sheepishly.

"Oh. Right. When I get drunk I—", Izzy bit her lip.

"Snore. And really loudly too!", Charlie chuckled. But he immediately stopped when Ginny elbowed him in the ribs.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. Well, I guess now that I have my facts straight, it really is quite understandable for you to want to sleep somewhere else last night.", Izzy apologized shyly. She has this really bad history of snoring very loudly after getting drunk—and so she wasn't surprised at all that Ginny wanted to be away from Izzy last night.

"No problem. I told you, I wasn't there to endure the sleepless night that went with your snoring!", Ginny teased her.

"B—but why in—er—Ron's room, though? Y—you—are—well, are you and Harry—erm—", Izzy was about to say _back together,_ but Ginny realized what Izzy had been thinking and so she cut her off.

"Oh goodness no! Of course not! Izzy! Don't even say it! Harry—er—wasn't in Ron's room last night!", Ginny said defensively.

"Harry wasn't there? But I thought—?", Izzy was confused.

"Huh? Oh. OH!! Oh you sly sly woman!! You didn't tell her about it either, Ginny?? Oh this is just great! Wait till she hears about it. She'll flip out for sure", Charlie practically screamed at Ginny's ear.

"Ouch, Charlie! I'm right beside you!", Ginny said irritably.

"Hey!! What's that you're keeping from me? Answer my question! Where was Harry last night?", Izzy folded her arms.

"Go tell her, Gin", Charlie said.

"Er—well, Harry actually—uhm—stayed with you last night", Ginny said.

"What?!"

"He—uhm—he watched over you last night—he stayed with you—in—er—my room", she explained once more.

"Why? What am I, a little helpless girl? I may be drunk but I can sleep by myself, thank you very much! You didn't have to let him stay with me! Oh Merlin, now how am I gonna face him? That's another reason for me to go home now!", she said rashly.

"Izzy, calm down! You couldn't possibly be left alone last night! You were snoring, and then standing up, and even sleep talking. Someone had to watch over you—we didn't know what you'll be doing next.", Charlie smirked.

"Oh but it's still embarrassing! After everything that happened last night? After everything that I told him!! And everything that he told me??", Izzy covered her face with her hands.

"Don't worry Izzy, it's not _that_ embarrassing! He never made fun of you—he's not even mad! In fact what he did was very sweet, and very loving, really.", Ginny patted her back.

_Flashback…_

_Knock knock knock…_

_Harry opened the door to Ron's bedroom while rubbing his eyes. _

"_Er—Harry, help?", Ginny bit her lip. _

"_What? Why? What happened?"_

"_It's Izzy. Well—you know she got drunk tonight, right? Well—she's snoring. I've asked Charlie if he know anything to help stop it—but he doesn't. And well, everybody else is asleep. We don't want to leave her alone like that, who knows what she might do next?"_

"_Oh. Where is she?"_

"_In my room—still snoring"_

"_Do you think it's okay if I stay with her tonight? You can sleep in Ron's room if you want", Harry offered. _

"_Really? That'd be great—oh but, I really don't know how Izzy will react to that tomorrow morning, when she finds out", Ginny said. _

"_Erm—then, don't tell her. Just admit it if she asks.", Harry shrugged. _

"_O—okay."_

_Harry and Ginny went to Ginny's room to see how Izzy was. She was still there, lying in a rather uncomfortable looking position and snoring her heart out. _

"_I've almost forgotten how loudly she can snore", Harry said. But he wasn't making fun of her. In fact, Harry was even looking at her lovingly._

"_Are you sure it's okay with you to stay with her tonight?", Ginny asked. _

"_Do you even have to ask? I doubt it if she would let me stay with her if she's sober. I might not be able to have this chance of watching her sleep again", Harry smiled. _

"_Oh—okay, thanks Harry!", Ginny thanked him for the last time. And then she went to Ron's room to get some sleep. _

_Harry approached Izzy and sat on the bed next to her. It has been a long time since Harry had last watched the girl sleeping peacefully—snoring or not. But even though she was snoring so loudly, Harry still marveled at how she manages to stay beautiful in his eyes. Harry smiled to himself as he stroked Izzy's hair, pulling aside some strands that were on her face. _

"_Sleep tight, Izzy, love", Harry whispered. _

_Then he conjured a chair for himself, and it was there where he sat all night, trying to get what little sleep he can, while watching over Izzy during the times he was awake. They stayed like that almost the whole night long—Izzy on the bed, snoring loudly, and Harry on a chair by the bed, his head occasionally drooping from the lack of sleep. They stayed like that until sunrise, when Harry left early, in order not to startle Izzy. _


	15. Signs of A Coming War

Disclaimer: I'm keeping it short and simple

Disclaimer: I'm keeping it short and simple. JK Rowling owns everything. I own nothing.

**Chapter 15: Signs of a Coming War**

"_Remember what I told you! We won't be going through the international portkey area of the ministry. The press has their eyes on you, and we can't risk running into them again today. If we do, you might miss the portkey. So, go straight to the Auror Department. We'll be using the portkey from there. I'll be going ahead, since I still have a meeting with Kingsley. I'll just see you there, okay?"_

Those were the words Marius told Izzy that first morning of May.

"Why? Why do _I_ have to go to the Auror Department? Is he doing this on purpose?! Is he nuts??", Izzy talked to herself. If there was one thing she went out of her way to avoid, that was seeing Harry again before she left for Greece.

At first she thought she was successful. No, successful was in itself even an understatement. She was not just successful; she was successful in the most perfect way possible. Due to the tons of top-secret meetings Harry and Marius have been attending at the Ministry lately, Harry could never be found spending his time at the Burrow. Truth be told, Izzy had begun hoping that she'd never have to face Harry again before she heads back home. Then after that, she could resume her old life and forget about whatever happened to her and Harry these past few days.

_But Marius had to find a way to bring me to him, didn't he? That evil scheming man!,_ Izzy thought as she flooed to the Ministry of Magic.

She had barely gone out of the Ministry's fireplace when cameras started flashing and reporters started asking her questions.

"_Is it true that you have a son with Mr. Potter?"_

"_Is that why you were gone for four whole years"_

"_Did you go back to Greece to give birth to your son and raise him?"_

"_Did Harry Potter know about this? Or was it only during the wedding that he found out?"_

"_What about your engagement, Ms. de Lune? Does this mean you're giving up your throne?"_

"_Do you intend on getting married to Harry Potter and raise your son here in England?"_

Needless to say Izzy's eyes widened at the kind of questions the reporters were asking her. She never really expected the press to make a big deal out of Teddy's little prank during Ron and Hermione's wedding. After all, didn't they read in the invitations that their ring bearer was Teddy Lupin—the son of Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks, who inherited his mother's ability as a metamorphmagus?

_Sometimes, the press can be so dumb! No, scratch that. They are actually pretty smart, making up issues and false information just to have their papers selling like hotcakes. But it seems to me that they have forgotten just who they're dealing with here. If they think they're smarter than me, they have to think again, _Izzy smirked inwardly.

With her unwavering de Lune poise, she flashed her perfect set of teeth, with her million galleon worth smile. "Uhm, about that—", she started. And then with a sudden dramatic movement of her head, she turned around, widened her smile and pretended to see someone.

"Harry!!", she shouted excitedly.

And as she was expecting, the reporters immediately rushed to the direction of Izzy's gaze to follow the "Harry" that Izzy apparently saw.

After a split second's worth of a triumphant smirk, Izzy immediately ducked and ran towards the ministry's service lifts.

Meanwhile, the reporters of the wizarding world's newspapers and tabloids have realized just what Izzy had done.

"_He's not here!"_

"_She's running away! Go after her!"_

They were now running after her like an angry mob running after a criminal. But they were too late, she had already got inside a service lift, whose doors are now closing. With a final mischievous smirk, very much like a true prankster, she waved goodbye at all of them, and even gave them a little wink.

But the service lift wasn't empty.

A certain someone arrived at the ministry's atrium a little after Izzy had. And that someone took advantage of the distraction Izzy had brought to the place, by snucking inside one of the service lifts without a soul knowing.

He watched as Izzy sighed, closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands out of frustration just as the doors to the lift closed, blocking her from view. Even when under so much stress, she still managed to be the most beautiful girl in his eyes. He smiled at the mystery of this girl, standing a foot away from him.

Izzy sighed again. To her mind, things were getting more and more complicated. Now the press is totally involved, and she had a feeling they'll be following her all throughout this year, due to her upcoming 'engagement'. Still with eyes closed, she leaned against the wall of the lift she was currently in. Only to find that she leaned against something soft, and warm, even. Immediately, her eyes shot wide open. She never even thought of the possibility that someone else might have been in the lift before she got in. She crossed her fingers and prayed to Merlin that it wasn't a member of the press. So, slowly, and reluctantly, she turned around and saw…

A regular ministry employee—someone she didn't know.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I thought I was alone inside the lift.", she said apologetically.

"It's okay. I noticed that you look bothered so, I didn't want to spoil your moment", the stranger said.

_That's weird. There's something really familiar about him, but I'm certain I've never seen this person. But they way he looks and talks to me, it's so—so gentle, _Izzy thought quietly.

"Oh. Thank you. Uhm—anyway, I'm Izzy de Lune.", she said politely, offering her hand for a simple handshake.

"I know. It's a pleasure to meet you under such—odd—circumstances, Ms. de Lune", the stranger smirked in a very distinctive fashion that reminded Izzy of someone.

"_Level two, Department of Magical Law Enforcement, including the Improper Use of Magic Office, Auror Headquarters, and Wizengamot Administration Services."_, the cool female voice of the Ministry of Magic elevator said.

"Oh. That's us, isn't it?", the man said, ignoring the way Izzy's eyes have widened. She didn't tell him that she was headed for the Auror Department, did she? But there was no time to ask, or even to wonder. For right at that moment, the service lift's doors opened. And Izzy realized the mistake she made. Of course by going directly to the second level, she fell into the trap of the reporters—they were all waiting outside the elevator, having used the stairs, and clearly expecting her to be visiting the Auror Department—Harry's office.

The stranger got out of the lift very casually, having the advantage of not being chased by reporters. Izzy, on the other hand, was being mobbed by the eager reporters, and was dumbstruck with the way the questions are becoming more and more outrageous by the second.

The man couldn't help it. He stopped on his tracks and looked back at the harassed lady. And with a decision formed in his mind, he walked back towards the lift, grabbed her by the wrist, and started running. They stopped in front of a lever at the blank stretch of the hallway's wall. The man waved his hand over the lever and it activated alarms all at once. In a matter of seconds, top-notch aurors from the Auror Department, right at the end of the hallway, used a number of spells to ensure security. After all the commotion, the last auror came out of the office, strutting all too casually, as if nothing was wrong at all.

It was Draco Malfoy. He glanced at the crowd of reporters currently restrained by invisible spells, at the Aurors who were seriously doing their jobs, and to Izzy and the man beside her.

And then he laughed. Draco Lucius Malfoy laughed hysterically, and even clapped his hands.

"Unbelievable! Absolutely unbelievable! You're not even the head of Aurors yet, and you got them to follow your maximum security order against—the press?", Draco snorted.

Izzy blinked confusedly.

But Draco continued clapping, and chuckling at the same time. "Really unbelievable! You know, a maximum security call is not always the answer to ecstatic reporters. Why don't you just answer their questions? Is that too hard for you, Potty?", Draco asked the man.

Izzy's eyes widened. _It couldn't be possible, could it? Is this man really Harry?, _Izzy was horrified at the thought. The man, after all, was still clutching her wrist.

"And would you drop the disguise? You always use that one! I told you time and again, drop it! It doesn't suit you at all!", Draco chuckled.

The man rolled his eyes, waved his wand once, and reappeared as Harry Potter. Izzy didn't know what to do. She wanted to run, to hide, but she couldn't move a single muscle.

Just then, Kingsley Shacklebolt came running towards the hallway they were all in.

"What happened? Why did Potter call the maximum security ala—", Kingsley wasn't able to finish his sentence once he saw the reporters.

"Potter! Reporters?", Kinglsey asked with a serious tone.

"They were harassing Izzy", Harry explained.

Kingsley pursed his lips.

"Told you it's unreasonable. Honestly, a maximum security call against the press?", Draco chuckled.

"Malfoy, go back to your work. It is partially reasonable. Although you should have called a simple security call—not a maximum security call. But in any case, this really calls for security. Ms. de Lune, after all is the princess, or if you may, queen of Greece. There should be no valid reason for her to be harassed by questions based on petty rumors made to boost newspaper and tabloid sales.", he eyed the reporters dangerously.

"Do you even have permits? You do know that the ministry is off limits to reporters who don't have permits, right? And even if you do have permits, you aren't allowed to be on this floor. Levels one and two are restricted for members of the press like yourselves, unless invited by an high ranking official on the said floors. I shall discuss the appropriate sanctions to your supervisors. If you want to question Mr. Potter and Ms. de Lune, you better do it later, at the atrium if you have permits.", Kingsley said with the tone of finality.

Izzy and Harry groaned at the last part of his announcement.

"Do we really have to answer such stupid questions?", Harry complained.

"I'm afraid if you don't answer them, they'll never stop bugging you", Kingsley told him quietly.

"Wait, how about this? Why don't you let them answer questions here now, so that it's finished. And, let them have the option not to answer questions that they are not willing to answer", Draco suggested.

"Hmm. Why not? Sounds like a good idea, Malfoy. You heard that didn't you? Think that's agreeable? No more stupid interviews and questions after this?", Kingsley asked the reporters, and most of them nodded out of fear.

"Well, then, what do you think, Harry? Izzy?", he asked.

Reluctantly, both of them nodded. It was no use arguing anymore. And it might actually be a good idea, provided the members of the press keep their word about not asking anymore stupid questions after this. But both of them highly doubted it.

And so with them agreeing to Draco's suggestion, the interrogation began.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

"Whew. Glad that's over!", Harry sighed.

Marius glanced concernedly at Izzy. She was absentmindedly staring at nothing, which means something is bothering her.

"Izzy, are you alright?", Marius asked her.

"What? Oh, yeah I am. It's just—well—it's just that—their questions! I never knew I'd be asked such questions. They were so—uhm—straightforward!", she exclaimed.

"Ah. You aren't used to that kind of questioning, as if asked out of malice, right?", Marius asked.

"I know. I just thought… well, I thought I'm really good at handling the press. I mean, I practically grew up being interviewed at least once a week. I never thought I'd have trouble answering questions at this point in my life", she sighed.

"Ah but reporters here in England are totally different from reporters back home. Who would want to ask their princess such malicious questions? They never know if press harassment is considered a crime punishable by death in some hidden royal law. There are far too many royal laws that no one knows for sure", Draco smirked.

"Although Draco's thoughts about death penalty are far too exaggerated, I agree with him regarding the amount of royal laws. Remember all the trouble we went through in finding a loophole for the royal marriage law? We've practically turned the manor upside down for tons and tons of books!", Marius said.

"I know, Marius, I know. I was there, remember? But you're totally missing the point here! I just can't believe how low these reporters can get! Honestly! Harry and I with a son?! Do they even know what they're talking about?", Izzy fumed.

"And what exactly is wrong with us having a son?!", Harry suddenly faced her with his eyebrows raised.

"I wasn't talking to you!", she narrowed her eyes.

"Would you two cut it out? We can't make the reporters go away with you two fighting! In fact that will draw even more attention to both of you. So I suggest you stop barking at each other like a married couple.", Draco said irritatedly. That certainly shut the two up.

"Draco's right, you know. You better get used to each other's company. We have no time left for adjustment. You have to be convincing enough that you can survive years of marriage to each other in order to fool the parliament.", Marius added.

"Wait, wait. What do you mean we have to convince the parliament that we can stand years of marriage to each other?!", Izzy folded her arms.

"You still haven't told her?", Harry asked Marius and Draco.

"Wait, Draco I thought you were the one who's going to tell her?", Marius asked Draco.

"Er—it must have slipped my mind", Draco grimaced and scratched his head.

"Hey! What is it that he's supposed to tell me? Can someone care to explain?", Izzy said, tapping her foot impatiently.

"You're not dumb Izzy. I'm sure you have a vague idea about what we're talking about.", Marius said.

"Uh huh. But the keyword there is _vague._ Can someone please make it clearer for me?", she raised her right eyebrow.

"I told you already, the last time we talked about your engagement! The loophole is to find another man more competent to be your partner! And there's no one else who can do the job better than Harry!", Marius explained.

"O—kay. That may be true but I think you're forgetting something.", she narrowed her eyes.

"And what would that be?"

"I must be willing to marry him!", she glanced at Harry for one second and rolled her eyes.

"So what you're saying is, you're willing to either give the throne to Amanda, or marry Everard IV and make your dear uncle Aurelius so happy, more than marrying Harry?", Marius asked incredulously.

"Ah. Finally we're on the same page!", she smiled extra sweetly at Marius.

"I don't believe it! I—I thought you were just—well, over reacting the last time we talked about it. You couldn't possibly hand Greece over to their doomsday, can you?", Marius asked Izzy again.

"Well you know, it's not like I'm being asked to choose between candy and candy, is it? It's clear here what's the better option. I am not willing to be married to someone I don't even like, and someone who doesn't even like me as well.", she said viciously.

"Oh please! As if you're fooling us! Would you just stop playing games and admit that you're both madly in love with each other that it's virtually gooey and mushy everywhere you go?", Draco rolled his eyes.

"Gooey and mushy? Seriously? Can't you find better words than _gooey _and _mushy_?", Harry taunted Draco.

"Hey, don't go blaming me for those words. It's just that—well, there's no other words left to describe it. Blame yourself if you must. You're the one who's making things gooey and mushy around here", Draco winked.

"Oh shut up! Who cares about your choice of words?! I know I don't care! But I'll certainly be glad if you guys weren't messing with my engagement! Give me someone else and I'll agree to marry them—just not him! 'Cause whatever it is that you have planned, I'm so sorry but there's no way I'm going to marry him", Izzy said, looking at Harry dangerously.

"You've got no choice, Izzy. He's going to Greece with us today. And Draco is too.", Marius said.

"What? And you only care to tell me this now?"

"Hey, it's Draco who was supposed to tell you all about it!", Marius said defensively.

"I told you, it slipped off my mind!", Draco argued.

"I may not be able to stop him from going to Greece with us today, but there's no way I'm going to let you present him to the parliament as an alternative!", Izzy told Marius hotly.

"Really? Hmmm. We'll see about that", Marius smirked. Izzy just rolled her eyes.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

Izzy thought that their encounters with the press was done for the day. Little did she know that she was wrong—absolutely wrong. Of course, being the princess of Greece, Izzy was a very famous personality in the said country. Everyone knew her, everyone admired her, and everyone wanted to know the latest news about her. So it really didn't come as much of a surprise to her that her arrival at Greece was known by every Greek wizard and witch in the country.

And so there they were—Izzy, Marius, Harry and Draco, in the international portkey station of Greece, in front of the Greek version of the press. Harry was relieved to find that Izzy and Marius weren't joking about the decency of Greek press compared to England's. Of course, Izzy was a royal—which was why she was never really harassed by reporters. But Harry wasn't a royal, was he? He isn't even Greek. That's why he's still being questioned.

"Mr. Potter! Mr. Potter! We didn't know that you were coming with Princess Ysovielle! Are the rumors true? Are you really here to present yourself to the parliament instead of Everard IV of Croatia?", a reporter asked.

Harry didn't know what to say.

"Oy, Potter! They're asking you a question. I suggest you use this to your advantage, eh?", Draco winked at him.

And just like a light bulb that was suddenly turned on, Harry had a brilliant idea—he was going to follow Draco's suggestion to use this opportunity to his advantage.

"Mr. Potter? Is it true? Are you here to hopefully be engaged to Princess Ysovielle?", the reporter reiterated his question.

"Why, what rumors have you heard around here? I'd like to hear them first.", Harry flashed his diplomatic smile—the one that's often associated with Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived-turned-man-who-conquered, Order of Merlin First Class, and top-notch Auror of the Ministry of Magic.

Izzy looked at him incredulously, not being able to believe that he actually wanted to answer the reporters' questions very casually.

"Ah well, Mr. Potter, that you are planning to win Princess Ysovielle back! We know of course that you used to be a couple back at Hogwarts. So is it true, sir? Are you hoping that the parliament will see you fit to be Princess Ysovielle's husband?"

"Why, what do you think? Of course, of course! Who wouldn't want to marry this beautiful young lady? She's absolutely perfect! I couldn't find a single flaw!", Harry smirked at Izzy evilly. Izzy just narrowed her eyes at him.

"And how sure are you that Princess Ysovielle would want to marry you?", another reporter asked Harry. It was Izzy's turn to smirk evilly.

"Why, I'm sure! I'm really sure!", Harry put his arm around Izzy's shoulder and pulled her closer to him. Izzy tried moving away from him, but his grip was just too strong. And she didn't really want the press to have more reasons to ask them stupid questions.

"So does this really mean that you are announcing to the world just how much you love our princess?", another reporter still asked.

This time, Harry dropped the smirk and turned his head slowly towards Izzy. He took that split second's worth of moment to let his guard down, to let Izzy see just how much he loves her. His eyes pierced hers—green and violet. And for that split second, the world seemed to slow down, and the portkey station empty except for the both of them.

"Of course I love her. I truly, truly love her.", Harry said, without taking his eyes off Izzy.

And when the next split second came, it was all over.

"Okay. That's enough for today! The royal cars are here, anyway so we really have to go now! Thank you for waiting for us here at the station! We really appreciate the warm welcome!", Marius announced, and immediately, the press scattered.

Outside the portkey station, the royal cars indeed were waiting. And there really was no exaggeration about it. It was really royal, and cars,__ with an 's'. There were around 3 cars waiting for them, one of which was a limousine, and all having little royal flags on each side of their bumpers. In addition to those 3 cars, there were motorcycles in front that served as their escorts.

Of course, all these vehicles were magically altered, with permission. The royal family used to go around Greece in a carriage drawn by magnificent unicorns—but Izzy didn't really like the idea. Partly influenced by Hermione, she didn't like the thought of having to enslave magical creatures, especially if there are machines like cars and motorcycles to do the job. As of this decade, the royal family of Greece uses the unicorn-drawn carriages for ceremonial purposes only.

When the four of them got into the limousine, everyone was quiet. In fact, everyone was quiet almost all throughout the journey. The only time someone ever talked was when they stopped on top of a cliff, and a bridge magically appeared to let the cars pass. It was Draco who spoke in astonishment as he and Harry marveled at the grandeur of the Greek Royal Family's hidden summer palace, which stood on a magically hidden island and was only accessible through this magical bridge.

When they finally got into the majestic palace, and out of earshot from anyone who could possibly eavesdrop, Izzy started talking.

"Wait, Harry. A—about what—what you said—erm—why? I—I mean, why a—are you really—erm—d—doing—this?", Izzy asked him seriously. She didn't want to get her hopes up and think of the possibility that Harry really wants to 'win her back'.

"Don't get too carried away, Izzy. Draco and I have an Auror mission here in Greece. It will earn me my promotion. _This_ is _only_ a cover—and it's the best cover ever. I thank you for that.", Harry smirked at her. He feels oddly like Draco now—being that mean and cunning, a true Slytherin move, really. But he needed to do this, he needed to let her feel how it is to be tricked with pretending.

Izzy just blinked, as she tried to understand what Harry just said.

"Wait, y—you mean that was—that was all for show?!", Izzy said unbelievingly.

"Uh huh. Why, I thought you didn't have problems when it comes to pretending? Isn't that what you're so great at?", Harry raised his eyebrows.

Izzy just ignored him, and made a little "hmph.." sound.

"Oh, but then again… maybe you might be a little affected. And I certainly think you are. You see, I came across this one day. I just found it in my office, lying on top of my desk", Harry smirked and held up two of Izzy's lockets—the heart shaped locket she got from her mother, the very one that brought her to Harry in the first place; and the locket that Harry had given to her as a Christmas gift—the one with a little picture of them as a couple inside it.

"Hey! Give me that! Why is it even with you?! Give it back!! Those lockets are mine!! Harry!!", Izzy said, trying hard to steal the lockets from Harry's grasp.

And so the two lovers-in-denial ran around the castle—Harry running away from Izzy, and Izzy trying to catch up with him. Meanwhile, Draco and Marius were observing them—both shaking their heads. Marius was chuckling while Draco was rolling his eyes. It seemed to these two observers that the catfights between Harry and Izzy aren't over yet—in fact, they had a feeling that another Harry-vs.-Izzy war was just about to begin.


	16. Interesting, Very Interesting

Disclaimer: I don't own any of JK Rowling's characters

Disclaimer: I don't own any of JK Rowling's characters. I'm content on doing work in the realm of fanfiction. (Oh but it seems that JK Rowling's having fun with fanfiction too.. have you read her Harry Potter "fanfiction"? It's basically a prequel that's not that relevant to the story—it's just cute ;p)

**Chapter 16: Interesting, Very Interesting**

Izzy was pacing back and forth inside her luxurious personal library at her summer palace, with Marius seated over at her study—his eyes seemingly watching a very slow tennis match.

"Aaaaargh! I hate him! I hate him!", Izzy groaned.

"Will you stop pacing back and forth?!", Marius finally complained.

"You know, I was ready to feel guilty—no, I _was_ already feeling guilty. I was ready to ask for forgiveness! I really was! You of all people know that! You know that I'm not proud of what I've done, right? I'm acknowledging the fact that I made a mistake when I left England pretending not to remember a thing related to Harry. I _was_ ready to take all of the blame! But now he had to be like this?? He had to be _that_ cruel??", Izzy sat down on her bed in frustration.

Draco snorted behind her.

"Oh don't start with me now! I know what you're going to say—that I deserve it after all the misery I've put him in! Don't! Just don't say it! I don't want to hear it!", she stopped Draco before he could even start talking.

"That's not what I was about to say, Izzy.", Draco said calmly.

"Really? What's with the snorting then?", she crossed her arms.

"Well, it's Potter, isn't it? You know how much of an amateur he is when it comes to girls! It's not that he had to be cruel to punish you! Well, okay, maybe there was a little revenge involved here—but really! Given his past experience, his track record with women, I'm more inclined to think that he's acting this way mainly because he doesn't know how else to act. And that's just it!", Draco chuckled.

"What do you mean, given his track record with women?! He isn't _that_ inexperienced! He was with Cho, and Ginny! And I heard he went on a few dates after I left!", Izzy retorted.

"Oh please! You know as well as I do that those dates were a load of crap! He couldn't wait to get out of those! You were there too when he and Ginny were together so I know that you know there wasn't really much of what you would call experience from that relationship. And as for Chang? Oh please! You weren't around when they were together—it was totally pathetic. She cried all over the place when they were together—all she could mope about was her ex boyfriend Diggory. So I'm sorry, but you're totally mistaken—Harry is much like a teenager with a high school crush. He's still testing the waters.", Draco rolled his eyes.

"So you mean he's actually uncertain about all these?", Izzy asked.

"Nah. I do believe what Draco's trying to say. But I also believe that Harry's not that uncertain. He may be testing the waters—but I think he's trying to play a game here. The only question is—are you up to it? Can you beat him at his own game?", Marius said interestedly. He was liking the way things are being stirred up by Harry.

"What do you mean he's playing a game—you don't think—?", Izzy started, but was immediately interrupted by a knock at the library door.

"Oh, come in!", Izzy said.

It was her Uncle Aurelius. Behind him was a tall and handsome man—with brown hair and brown eyes, a stranger to Draco's eyes, but an acquaintance to both Marius and Izzy. They knew perfectly that this man was Everard Bellavich IV—the prince of Croatia, and currently, Izzy's future husband. He was looking downcast today. He just glanced for a moment at Izzy, Marius and Draco and then went back to staring at the floor. He was also looking rather pale that day.

"My dear Ysovielle—it's nice to have you back here at home. Oh I see you've got company?", her uncle greeted her greasily.

"Yes, uncle. I've come back just as I've told you that I would. This is Draco Malfoy—I'm sure you've heard of him. Draco, my uncle Aurelius de Lune. ", she introduced them.

"Ah, yes. Mr. Malfoy—the only Malfoy to be on the light side of the war—and an Auror too, is that right?", Aurelius shook his hand.

"Er—yeah. That's me.", Draco replied awkwardly.

"So, what brings you here? You here for the engagement ball, are you?", Aurelius asked.

"Ah yes. We've come here for that", Draco replied.

"We? Oh, I see you've brought more than one friend for your ball, haven't you? I presume that's a good sign. It tells me that you are excited for your engagement?", Aurelius said in a monotone voice.

"Actually uncle I—", Izzy tried to argue. And Everard was looking rather horrified at the idea of the engagement ball—well, at least, that's how it looked like from Draco and Marius' point of view. Izzy and Everard were both looking terrified at the idea of getting married to one another.

"Good, good. Anyway, I'm sure since you're excited that you'll be eager to take my suggestion to heart, eh? This morning a truly wonderful idea came to me, and that's why I came here to you with a very special person", Aurelius ignored Izzy's protests.

Izzy just sighed and Everard was biting his lower lip.

"Oh, well, I've brought here as you know, Everard Bellavich IV—I'm sure you know each other from school. I think it would be a wonderful idea for you to spend sometime together before your upcoming engagement. What do you think?", her uncle smirked.

"Yes. Yes. A really wonderful idea. Why not?", Izzy recited like a robot.

"Ah good good. I knew you'd agree. Anyway, I'm going to leave Everard here with you. Take care of him would you? After all, he will be your future husband—so I suggest you start taking care of him. I have something else to attend to. Ah—and, I think my lovely daughter Amanda is waiting for you at the dining hall—why don't you all go there for lunch, mm? See you in a bit!", Aurelius bid them goodbye temporarily.

"Ugh.", Izzy rolled her eyes when her uncle was gone. But Marius immediately elbowed her to stop, and signaled towards the direction of Everard. They still didn't know if they could trust the man.

"Don't worry. I don't like what he's doing either. Not that I could do anything about it—I really can't but—I hate the way he's playing cupid for both of us. Don't get me wrong, Ms. de Lune—I know that you are really a fine young woman—but it's just that, we don't really know each other", Everard said quietly, his eyes still glued to the floor.

"I—I know what you mean. Don't worry, I'm not taking offense. And please, please call me Ysovielle—or Izzy. I mean, you should start getting used to it at least."

"I—I—o-okay. I never realized how kind you really are. And to think I was really scared about this whole engagement thing—it's just that, I couldn't possibly get out of this—I have to obey father, and your uncle", he said.

"And why exactly is that?", Draco suddenly asked him with narrowed eyes, and a calculating look. It was pretty obvious to Marius that he was now starting to do his job of investigating the de Lune-Bellavich case.

Everard's eyes widened. It seemed that he just realized that he said too much.

"Er—well, of course, as royals, right? We have to respect our elders and follow their wishes—since it's also for our own good. And don't get me wrong—I—I am actually looking forward to the engagement. I mean, who wouldn't want to marry Ms. de Lune—I—I mean, Ysovielle. She's a perfect young lady—any bloke would want to marry her. I am really excited about it. I just think that we should spend more time together and get to know each other more before jumping into an engagement and a marriage. But I really am excited", Everard said, with a matching gulp that certainly made him look terrified. There was nothing at all in his expression that says how 'excited' he really was about the engagement. Draco looked at him like a hawk—as if he was sizing him up.

"Draco that's enough. Give it a rest.", Izzy warned her friend.

"Yes Draco, enough of that. Sorry about that Everard. Draco here—he's just not the type who warms up to strangers easily. Give him time, and he'll snap out of his stupidity.", Marius joked.

"Hey!"

"Anyway, shall we go to the dining hall? Aurelius and Amanda are there aren't they?", Marius asked them.

"Wait, what about Harry? Shouldn't we get him first?", Draco asked.

"You can do that for us. There's no way I'm knocking at Harry Potter's door and ask him to join me for lunch! Not after what he did this morning!", Izzy folded her arms.

"H—Harry Potter? He's here?", Everard asked.

"Uh huh. Of course he's here. After all, Izzy's going to be engaged", Draco smirked.

"B—but, isn't he your ex boyfriend?", Everard asked Izzy.

"Yes. Thank you very much for reminding me that little piece of information I've always wanted to forget. He is my ex boyfriend—but I wasn't the one who invited him over. In fact, I don't want him here! I don't want anything to do with him ever again! But apparently, some people here seem to think that I am still smitten with that—that—jerk!", Izzy rolled her eyes at Draco and Marius.

Everard smiled inwardly. He barely knew Izzy but with the way she was acting right now, Everard found it harder and harder not to like her. She reminded him of someone very dear to him—someone who'd act the same way about their ex boyfriend.

Draco narrowed his eyes when he noticed the way Everard was looking at Izzy knowingly and even suspiciously like 'lovingly', as if he were so fond of her.

"Hey hey, we all know you're pissed off with Harry but that doesn't mean we should let him go without lunch today. Since Izzy here doesn't want anything to do with Harry, why don't you go get him, Draco? That way we could save more time.", Marius suggested.

Draco followed Marius' suggestion and walked towards the opposite direction. Meanwhile, Marius, Izzy and Everard all headed for the dining hall.

It seems that Izzy's sudden change of attitude with the mention of Harry's name was exactly what Everard needed to break out of his shell. Well, okay, Izzy was really kind, accommodating and she expressed the same opinion. Everard was nervous about this engagement that was being forced on him by his father and his mentor Aurelius de Lune, but when he realized that Izzy didn't like the idea as well, he was able to breathe more easily. On the way to the dining hall (yeah, it's a long way up to there) they had a little chat that made them more comfortable with each other's company.

"So, why is it that you're so infuriated by Harry Potter? You're probably the only witch I know that doesn't like him at all.", Everard asked curiously.

"It's a long long story", Izzy sighed.

"Go on! It seems that this hallway's never gonna end, so you might as well tell me a long long story", he joked.

"It is rather long, isn't it?", Izzy smiled up to him.

"Uh huh. You have to start walking an hour before noon to get there on time", he smirked.

"Everard! Oh you're joking, aren't you? Good to see you're getting more comfortable", Izzy smiled at him.

"And, the way to the dining hall isn't really that long. We're almost there, you know", Marius added.

True enough, they came near the end of the hallway, where a handsome archway with oak doors stood waiting for them. Behind those oak doors were the sounds of silverware on china, and the sound of female flirtatious laughter that sounded a lot like…

"Amanda", Everard and Izzy said at the same time. Although Marius was certainly amused with the difference in expression their faces had on.

Izzy was rolling her eyes and had this sarcastic look on her face, while Everard—well, let's just say for simplicity's sake that he had a lovestruck look on his face. But he quickly wiped that out of his face. Nevertheless, Marius saw that split second's worth of lovestruck-for-Amanda moment. He made a mental note to tell this to Izzy—this might prove useful later on when they try to convince Everard to back out of the engagement gracefully. If Marius' hunch was right, Everard wasn't interested at all in marrying Izzy mainly because she's _not_ Amanda.

Izzy, after dropping her sarcastic expression, raised her eyebrows.

_How come Amanda's giggling like some girl flirting in a bar?,_ Izzy thought as Everard opened the door for her.

"Mmmm. That's just so good! I never knew plain strawberries can be so delicious when smothered with chocolate syrup! Everyone's so hung up with using cream on their strawberries that they don't bother with chocolate anymore!", Amanda smiled sweetly at the person next to him—who happened to be none other than Harry Potter.

They were obviously engaged in some flirtatious conversation about strawberries and chocolate (of all things!), and in Izzy's opinion, Amanda's sweet smile was just too sweet, and Harry just too close to Amanda at that.

She narrowed her eyes without even thinking—it was as if she forgot all about hating Harry for what he did that morning. She had a new reason to be mad at him anyway.

_Oh the nerve! I was the one who taught him the exquisite combination of strawberries and chocolate—and he's just going to use that to flirt with Amanda just a few hours after arriving here at Greece?!,_ Izzy thought furiously, causing a flower vase nearby to shake.

_Ooh. Shaking flower vases? Interesting! Very interesting! Good job, Izzy! You passed my test with flying colors. You still are in love with me aren't you? I never knew you can still be that jealous. Interesting!, _Harry thought inwardly and then he spoke out loud, "Oh, good you're here! Amanda and I have been waiting for a while now". He smirked evilly and put his arm around Amanda's shoulder. This made Harry look even more handsome, and Izzy even more furious.

Without Izzy seeing it, Everard was smirking at her behavior, with a knowing look on his face.

_Interesting, very interesting! I never thought Ysovielle de Lune and Harry Potter are still very much in love with one another. And here I was thinking I might have a hard time breaking off this stupid engagement! Only a truly dumb person can't see how much they love each other. I might be able to use this fact. All I need to do is to make Potter so jealous that he'll have to fight for her. Interesting!, _Everard cooked up a small plan of his own. Thinking it would be good to start now, he placed his hand on Izzy's shoulder and told her to calm down.

_Isn't that Everard Bellavich? Why is he putting his hand on her shoulder? And why is he looking at Izzy like that? Like he's so fond of her—and so fascinated with her? Could it be that he's serious about getting engaged to her and eventually marrying her?, _Harry thought quietly, looking at the man with critical eyes—as if he were scanning him with an x-ray machine.

Marius on the other hand, was being a good friend to Izzy, and so he stood close to her and whispered something in her ear.

"You may want to calm down a bit. You're totally giving away the fact that you're jealous. The flower vases are starting to shake.", he whispered.

Izzy turned to him wide-eyed. And after 3 seconds, Marius earned a whack in the head.

"I am not! Take that back! Oh just wait till I settle down and get my hands on a jam spreader! I have to deal with something first, but I will get back to you!", she said.

"Oooh. Someone's jealous", a voice behind them said. It was Draco.

"I am not!", Izzy said defensively, sounding like a little girl who was being teased.

"No one's listening. Anyway, good I caught up with you right away when I realized Potter's gone ahead to lunch. The dining hall's awfully far from the bedrooms don't you think?", Draco ignored Izzy's rants.

"Stop changing the subject!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, was there a subject? Oh, right! You were saying that you weren't jealous of Harry and Amanda here, when you obviously are. That's it, isn't it?", Draco grinned toothily.

"I. Am. Not. Jealous.", Izzy said through gritted teeth.

"Then why the shaking flower vases?"

"I am mad. That's why.", she crossed her arms.

"Oh, so that's why you're not jealous—er—because you're—er—mad?"

Izzy whacked Draco on the head this time. "Stop acting like you're so dumb. You know why I'm mad—he knows why I'm mad!", Izzy narrowed her eyes at Harry.

"Why, is it because I'm with Amanda?", Harry frowned—a fake frown that was extra cute.

"No. Because of your stupid excuse to be here. I was ready to be all regretful, all guilty about my—my—shortcomings! I was ready to ask for your forgiveness! Good thing I haven't done so yet, because really, you don't deserve it! You might as well go home, Potter. You're not welcome here!", Izzy said.

"Izzy! What a harsh thing to say! You shouldn't be like that with a guest! You should treat every guest of the palace with the highest form of hospitality!", Amanda said with pure naiveté.

Everyone except Everard found this funny—they all snorted one way or the other. Everard was an exception—it was impossible to decipher exactly what it is Everard had been thinking on that very moment. But there's no need to guess from scratch, as Everard suddenly spoke in a very very cold voice.

"Hospitality. I see. So is that why you're giggling and snuggling up on the dining table while waiting for us? Is this what's known as the 'highest form of hospitality', Amanda? And what's with the strawberries and chocolate syrup? Having your dessert already?", Everard asked her harshly. She was speechless—only managing to gulp.

_Oooh. Interesting! Who would have thought, that there's actually something going on with Amanda and Everard? I never knew that! What will uncle Aurelius say if he finds out that her little darling Amanda and Everard are in love? I wonder what he'll do if Amanda pleads to him to drop the recommendation for Everard to marry me. Mmm. I wonder", _Izzy thought.

"Yes Amanda, how come you're already eating your dessert? We weren't even here yet, I'm rather hurt and disappointed. I can't help but agree with _my fiancée_.", Izzy said sweetly, hooking her arm onto Everard's arm.

This move and Izzy referring to Everard as her fiancée shocked everyone. Harry and Amanda were hit with jealousy, Marius creased his brows, and Draco coughed out a snort.

_Hmmm, and she's cooperating. I wonder what she has in mind. Oh but whatever it is, I'm really liking it—just wait, Harry Potter, in no time you'll be so jealous you'd have to win against me in this game. And I'm going to wait for that moment—the day you take Izzy back for good, _Everard thought, as he smirked at Harry and wrapped his arm around Izzy.

Harry's eyes followed Everard's arm closely. He wasn't the only one—Draco and Marius were also observing what was happening really closely. They were waiting for what was about to happen next. They all knew Izzy very well—and so they know that no man can ever get away with putting his arm around her, unless of course Izzy also likes him. Lots of boys at Hogwarts have tried this move, and they ended up with a de Lune beating, which just means a sharp whack in the head.

But it never came. Izzy let Everard rest his arm around her frame. She did nothing to retaliate, which caused Harry to stand up all of a sudden. Not so long ago, it was only him, Marius and Draco who would dare do such a thing.

"You—you! Why aren't you doing anything?", Harry asked Izzy.

"What do you mean? Am I supposed to do something?", Izzy asked with mock curiosity.

"But his arm!"

"Oh, you mean this? Why, do you think my fiancée deserves a beating for being protective over me?", Izzy asked sweetly.

"He's not yet your fiancée!", Harry whispered softly but everyone heard it just the same.

"Oh he will be in two weeks' time. Don't you worry about it", she said.

_Oh he won't be. He won't be your fiancée ever, Izzy. Not if I can help it,_ Harry thought quietly.


	17. Amanda de Lune

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: You might get confused. I'm backtracking at the start of this chapter. It shows Amanda's POV during the arrival of Harry, Draco, Izzy and Marius at the summer palace.

**Chapter 17: Amanda de Lune**

Amanda was just sitting prettily in her bedroom at the de Lune summer palace when she heard the sound of cars approaching the front courtyard. Her room happens to have that view of the courtyard, and so she took a peek between the curtain gaps and saw that Izzy and Marius had arrived. But they weren't the only ones who got down from the limousine. Aside from them, there were two young and extremely handsome men who were currently standing at the courtyard. Amanda didn't need to guess who they were. Being a faithful subscriber of Witch Weekly she knew very well who these men were. Why wouldn't she, when these two simultaneously hold the Most Eligible Bachelor of the Wizarding World title—Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy.

And so Amanda got excited. Without thinking twice, she rushed out of her bedroom to meet them. She ran down the staircase like she's never done before, the clacking of her stiletto heels echoing in the hallway. She stopped so suddenly when she heard shouting at the palace's entrance hall.

"_Wait, y—you mean that was—that was all for show?!", Izzy's voice said unbelievingly. _

"_Uh huh. Why, I thought you didn't have problems when it comes to pretending? Isn't that what you're so great at?", a man replied._

Amanda moved towards the door to see exactly who was talking. It was Harry Potter.

_Izzy just ignored him, and made a little "hmph.." sound. _

"_Oh, but then again… maybe you might be a little affected. And I certainly think you are. You see, I came across this one day. I just found it in my office, lying on top of my desk", Harry smirked and held up two of Izzy's lockets—the heart shaped locket she got from her mother, the very one that brought her to Harry in the first place; and the locket that Harry had given to her as a Christmas gift—the one with a little picture of them as a couple inside it. _

"_Hey! Give me that! Why is it even with you?! Give it back!! Those lockets are mine!! Harry!!", Izzy said, trying hard to steal the lockets from Harry's grasp. _

Then all of a sudden, Harry ran, and Izzy went after him. Amanda followed them with her eyes, waiting to see where this was leading to. She had a feeling that Izzy was seriously angry at the boy-who-lived.

Amanda confirmed just what she had been suspecting when Izzy finally caught up with Harry, and grabbed the locket that was in his hand.

"Hah! Caught you! Give me that! This is mine! It was from my mother, Potter, from my dead mother! Surely, you know how important that is for me?", she said hotly.

"I know. That's why I'm giving it back. Along with this other locket. Aren't you getting it back from me?", Harry held up the locket he himself gave Izzy a few Christmases ago.

"Why? Why would I need such garbage?"

"Garbage?", Harry raised his voice for the first time.

"Yes. Garbage. I'm not taking that back. That was from you, right? So it's yours. It's not like that's a thing of great value, really. What? You think I treasure that thing just because you're the one who gave it to me? I've already thrown that piece of vermin away. I don't know how you got it, and frankly, I don't want to know how you got it. But I told you, that's just garbage for me.", she spat.

"Y—you, you don't think it's important? You might as well throw it away?"

"I did throw it away 4 years ago. So yeah, I might as well throw it away again. Stop dreaming Potter. You say you don't care, you say you're here for an Auror mission and nothing eles, but why the disappointment? Aren't you supposed to be so glad that I'm totally over you? Aren't you supposed to be jumping with glee knowing that I'm not some stupid girl still waiting for you to come to your senses? You should be really happy—because I have finally learned from my mistakes. I don't have time to waste on insensitive people like you. Your name, your fame, they don't mean a thing to me.", she said with a tone of finality, and then she turned on her heels to go back to her bedroom.

Harry was left alone at the entrance hall of the palace, looking dumbstruck and downhearted. Amanda couldn't help but approach him. When she was right behind him, she cleared her throat.

"Oh. I—I didn't notice that someone was—Oh! You! Y—you're—you must be Amanda! You are, aren't you?", Harry asked.

"Yes, that's me. And you're Harry Potter, of course.", she smiled at him, and took his hand in a handshake and then she continued talking, "Sorry, I—I didn't mean to eavesdrop but—"

"You heard how Izzy threw all those insults, huh?", Harry grimaced rather painfully.

"Uhm—yeah. I don't mean to intrude, I'm just really curious. You see, Izzy's never _that_ harsh. She's a very soft-spoken woman—all de Lunes are. Well, okay, Izzy can be really tough at times, especially when she has a jam spreader in her hand, but she's never cruel on purpose. I was wondering—well—what did you do to make her that mad?", she asked.

"She hates me. For a lot of things I guess. We're best friends, you know. But then 4 years ago I was so stupid, and dense to the point that she had to run back here to stay away from me. And then I found out just what she did, and then there's this engagement coming up and I still can't tell her how I really feel…"

"Wait a minute! What do you mean she went back here to stay away from you? Didn't she go back here because she lost her memories—a—and she even gained them all back except her memories o—of—of—er..", Amanda said awkwardly. Harry of course knew what she was about to say—that Izzy gained all her memories back except the ones involving Harry.

"What, of me? Oh, but that's notthe whole story. That amnesia was a fake. She staged that thing to get away from England, to get away from me. She supposedly was heartbroken when Ginny and I got together. Or at least that's what Marius told me. He said that Izzy thought she was setting me free, and that she was doing me a favor", Harry explained.

"What? You mean that's all pretend?"

"Funny you should say that, when everything started in a pretending act as well", Harry said.

"I know. I know the story. Marius told me all about your friendship. But how can she do that?"

"She thought I loved someone else. Thought she was setting me free."

"But she wasn't, was she?", Amanda asked cautiously.

"No. No. I realized it too late though—that she's the one I really love, I mean. She was gone when it really hit me. And now I don't think we can ever really go back to the way we were back at Hogwarts", he sighed.

"I know! Make her jealous!", Amanda suggested gleefully.

"What?!"

"Izzy likes playing these games, doesn't she? Pretending to be your girlfriend, and then pretending that she doesn't even remember you—who knows? She might just be pretending to hate you! The only way to find out is to make her jealous! If she reacts jealously—then you'll know that she doesn't really hate you!", she giggled.

"You know what—that—that's just brilliant! B—but how will I do that?"

Amanda rested her head on Harry's shoulder. "How do you think?", she smirked.

"A—are you sure about this?", Harry looked at her uncertainly.

"Of course! You love Izzy, and I'm quite sure Izzy loves you. Of course I'll help you! There's no way I'd let an opportunity pass me by! I want to be able to tell everyone that I helped you two get married!", she giggled.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

After finishing their tension-filled lunch at the dining hall, Harry and Amanda decided to stay behind to discuss something. After persuading everyone to let them stay the two of them were alone at last (but not without suspicious glances from Izzy and Everard).

"Harry? D—do you really think this is a good idea? It doesn't seem to be a really good plan, does it? I don't think it's working.", Amanda told Harry worriedly.

"Don't worry… It's working, Amanda…trust me, I know", Harry smiled.

"A—are you sure? I'm not forcing you to take my suggestion seriously, okay? I mean, no one ever does take me seriously, aside from Everard, that is.", Amanda smiled shyly.

"Amanda, don't let other people take your opinion for granted. You have to make others take you seriously. Your suggestion was brilliant—and you said it at the right time too! So don't you ever think that I don't take you seriously, okay? It's a good thing that I had a chance to have a little chat with you before lunch—and so we had some time to cook up a plan, don't you think?"

Amanda sighed. "Sorry Harry, I was really really confident about our plan earlier… but now, I don't really know anymore", she said.

"Amanda, it's a good plan. And I want to push through with it. Izzy's just being difficult, but I know in the end, she'll give in", he smiled.

"But it seemed like she really was mad at you! She said that loud enough, didn't you hear her?", she asked.

"Oh I heard her alright. But that's just the thing with Izzy. Sometimes, what she says is completely the opposite of what she feels. I did a couple of little tests over lunch, and I've confirmed it. She still gets jealous. Funny how you were so confident earlier and I wasn't, and here we are—totally the opposite.", Harry said with his eyes twinkling.

Amanda frowned. "I know, I know. I don't mean to burst your bubble or anything, but I thought Izzy was being cruel on purpose this morning, really. And I thought I would never see her angrier in my life, but over lunch I was surprised to see that she can still be a lot angrier. I don't understand! She's normally a kind person—but with what I saw today, it's the first time I realized that she can actually be cruel if she wants to. She was so cold to you this lunch—I—I didn't mean to look b—but I saw your reaction, Harry", she said cautiously.

Harry sighed. "I must admit, that really caught me off guard. But it only makes me want to take up the challenge even more", Harry said firmly.

"But why did you do that? Why did you cut up the meat into triangles and offered it to Izzy?", Amanda asked curiously.

"She used to really find that cute. _We_ used to really find that funny. I couldn't believe my ears when I heard her say that it's too childish.", Harry sighed.

_Oh, goodness! How childish, Harry! Sorry, but Everard here has helped me cut my meat into normal slices—not triangular ones. This isn't pre-wizarding school, you can stop reviewing your shapes now, Harry!, _Izzy's harsh words were still ringing in Harry's ears.

"I saw that, you know. You had that disappointed look in your eyes. And Izzy seemed to be enjoying herself all the while.", Amanda said quietly.

"I thought so at first too. But I pushed aside the disappointment to look at the bigger picture. She looked as if she were enjoying herself, but she couldn't even look me in the eye. She wasn't being nasty for nothing. I think that maybe she has a plan of her own.", Harry analyzed.

"You think so? Then, do you think we should still push through with our initial plan? You know, I suggested that from the top of my head after hearing your story. I told you already, you don't really have to follow it if you don't want to—it's just a suggestion.", she said uncertainly.

"Oh, Amanda, will you stop that? Don't look down on yourself too much. I know some people don't take you seriously, but you really are a smart girl! Your suggestion may be the perfect solution to our problem. This little charade is making her jealous—in fact, it's making _them_ jealous.", Harry winked.

"What do you mean by 'them'?"

"Izzy and Everard of course", he smirked.

"Everard?", Amanda gulped.

"You told me he's the only one who takes you seriously, right? I figured—I just guessed that maybe you liked him. And I thought to myself, what if Everard likes you? And I think he does, Amanda!", Harry teased her.

"Harry! Don't change the subject!", Amanda blushed.

Just then, there was a knock at the dining hall's large oak doors.

"So you're still here?", a head-scratching Draco Malfoy peeking from behind the door asked.

"Uhm, no?", Harry said sarcastically.

"Draco! What are you doing here? Why don't you join us?", Amanda asked him.

"No. No. I was just checking up on Potter here. I wanted to see just why he seemed so eager to be left behind with you here.", Draco narrowed his eyes.

"What?", Harry asked defensively.

"Ah. I thought so. So, you're trying to make Izzy and Everard jealous?", Draco folded his arms.

"So you know?", Harry smirked.

"What do you mean 'so you know'? We're not making _them_ jealous. Just Izzy. Only Izzy. Not Everard!", Amanda made a hmph-ing sound.

Draco and Harry chuckled at the same time.

"What? Why are you laughing at me?", Amanda pouted.

"Because you're so much like your dear cousin", Draco winked at her.

"Izzy? Why?"

"Totally defensive", Harry snorted.

"I am not!", Amanda said in the same tone Izzy used earlier, just before lunch. This made the two men laugh some more.

"Stop it!", Amanda huffed.

"Okay okay. We're stopping now. But you're still like her, no matter what you say. Don't go being all defensive about it, because you'll only sound even more like her.", Harry smirked.

"Whatever.", she crossed her arms.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

"So, what do you think of Amanda?", Draco asked Harry. They were back in Harry's room at the palace, having a little chat while Draco watched his friend unpack his things.

"What about Amanda?"

"Well, she's really pretty and nice, and she's a lot like Izzy. I dunno why Izzy kept on telling us she's a bit dense, and stupid.", Draco shrugged.

"Oh don't tell me you have your eyes on Amanda!", Harry shook his head.

"Me? Well, why not? What's wrong with that?", Draco smirked.

"If you plan on just playing around, I suggest don't. Izzy won't forgive you. And besides, I thought you saw just how jealous Everard was? He obviously likes the girl.", Harry said.

"Really? So maybe that's why he doesn't want to push through with the engagement", Draco thought out loud.

"What did you just say?", Harry asked all of a sudden.

"Oh, you weren't there, were you. Ah, yes. On the way to the dining hall, Everard said a little too much. There was something about him not really wanting this engagement with Izzy, but he has no choice but to follow his father's wishes. But he seemed to notice that I was being to critical about his words.", Draco grinned.

"Sheesh. Sometimes you can be so stupid Malfoy. Of course Everard will stop talking about his father once he realizes you're becoming suspicious. They're already thinking that we're not really here for the engagement you know. They know that Kingsley won't let us take a leave at the same time.", Harry explained.

"Ah, yes. Of course, that makes sense."

"Anyway, as if I never expected them to figure it out at once. They can guess, but no one's going to confirm it, right? So, what's the big problem? I'd rather push through with my plans?"

"What, to make her jealous? Do you really think you'll change her mind? You know this isn't just about her pride, right? If she refuses to be engaged to Everard she'll be putting Greece in great danger."

"I know, I know. That's why I'm also working with this", Harry said, taking out a huge box from inside his luggage.

"What's that?"

"This—is what I need on the moment I face the Greek parliament.", Harry said, as he opened the box.

Ironically, it contained each and every one of Harry's possessions which he hates the most—his awards, plaques of recognition and the like.

"Ah. Good thing you brought those. Though, I must admit, I was doubtful that you'd want to bring them out.", Draco commented.

"Yeah, well—anything to keep Everard's hands off her", Harry smirked.

"And what about that one? What's that for?", Draco asked, as he pointed to another box.

"Oh, this? You should know. You're the one who gave me this, remember?", Harry replied. It was Izzy's box of memories—the one she threw at the lake at Hogwarts several years ago.

"Is—is that Izzy's box?", Draco asked.

"Mmm hmm. And I'm gonna use it tomorrow. Watch out, Malfoy, tomorrow's gonna be a great day. I have everything planned out smoothly", Harry said.

"Really? And what do you have planned, huh?"

"Do you really want to spoil the surprise?"

"Mmm, now that you've mentioned it, no. I think I'm just going to wait and see what you're up to. Just make sure it's something worth watching. Don't even think about boring me to death Potter.", Draco said.

"Trust me, Malfoy. You're going to enjoy the show", he said.


	18. Trains, Butterflies and Lockets

Disclaimer: I own Izzy and that's enough for me—I'm not claiming JK Rowling's characters.

**Chapter 18: Trains, Butterflies and Lockets**

"Ah are we done yet?", Draco complained loudly.

"Will you stop complaining? Is that all you know how to do?", Harry asked.

"No! I also know how to charm girls with my killer looks.", Draco said while rubbing his chin.

Harry and Marius snorted.

"Ah, Draco, now, we didn't really need to hear any more bragging from you. We've had that the whole day yesterday, remember? Anyway, Mr. Malfoy, you'll be pleased to know that we've finished our little tour of the summer palace. Or at least every inch of it that I know to exist. We don't really know if Izzy's hiding some secret garden from me.", Marius told them.

"Why didn't she give us this tour, anyway? I mean, it's her house, isn't it?", Draco asked and his two friends rolled their eyes.

"Would you listen to yourself! Was that a rhetorical question or you're really waiting for an answer?", Harry asked.

"What?!"

"Of course she didn't give us this tour you dope! She hates me, remember?", Harry grimaced.

"Oh, right!", Draco narrowed his eyes mischievously, as if he intentionally asked that question to irritate his partner, which he probably did.

"Wait, wait, I thought you had a pool here somewhere? Isn't that where we're going today? Out for a little swim?", Harry asked Marius upon his little realization.

"Ah, yes. But that's not really anywhere near here. We still have to travel to the pool's location. I think it's on the top of that hill", Marius pointed to a little hill quite far from where they were.

"And how exactly are we going to get there?", Draco asked.

"Ah, that's where we're going now. To the transportation dock", Marius said.

"What, we're going on water?", Draco asked.

"Er—not really. They just like calling it a dock. Here, follow me.", Marius said as he started walking.

After a few minutes of walking through a massive and elaborate garden on the palace grounds, they came to a clearing—with cobblestone flooring, and fountains. Everard, Izzy and Amanda were already there—waiting for them.

"There you are!! What took you so long? Did you have trouble finding the dock?", Izzy asked.

"No, no. Not really."

"What, this is the dock?", Draco asked. It was indeed an odd place to call a 'dock'.

"Uh huh. I wonder what kind of transportation will arrive for us today. The last time I was here, I remember it was a pumpkin carriage like that muggle fairytale story Cinderella!", Amanda giggled.

"A pumpkin carriage? Cindy—what?", Draco made a face as he tried comprehending what Amanda just said.

"A pumpkin carriage! Cinderella! Honestly, Draco, don't you even know those things?", Harry asked him.

"Hey, don't look at me like that! It's not my problem I didn't grow up with muggles!", Draco said defensively.

Just then, a very loud noise was heard by the group. It sounded like a very noisy whistle.

"Oh my!", Izzy remarked.

In front of them, something rather huge appeared, emitting lots of smoke such that they weren't able to figure out what exactly appeared in the first few seconds. But after the smoke has cleared, they realized what the huge thing was—it was a train. But not just any other train.. it was an exact copy of the..

"Hogwarts Express!", everyone except Everard and Amanda muttered.

"Oh, so this is the Hogwarts Express?", Everard asked.

"Well, at least that's what it looks like. It's only a copy, right?", Draco asked. Marius and Izzy nodded.

"I guess the place realized by magic just how most of us came from Hogwarts. That's its way of welcoming us, of welcoming you—you're the guests here after all.", Izzy said.

"Yes, I think so too. So, you figure we should all get on board? Are you ready to go swimming?", Marius asked.

"Are you kidding? Of course we are! We rarely have this kind of summer vacations due to Kingsley's work ethic! And besides, it's another good opportunity for me to flaunt my perfectly chiseled body—too bad you didn't invite other hot women to join us in this little picnic!", Draco sighed. And everyone went on board the little Hogwarts Express replica chuckling at what Draco had just said.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

He felt as if he was back at the Hogwarts Express several years ago. He was standing on the same spot—at the end of the train, watching from its window, as everything in view slid out of sight. With a heavy sigh, he closed his eyes and tried to push that memory out of his mind. Those years without her were terrible, terrible indeed. But what's past is past—and now that he has this chance to start all over again, Harry Potter was sure not to spoil this opportunity.

Little did he know that somewhere behind him were two pairs of observant eyes, watching the way he had been looking at the passing sceneries.

"What's wrong with him? Did something happen during your palace tour?", Izzy asked Draco. She was trying not to look too concerned but in Draco's opinion, she was failing miserably.

"No, no. Nothing's wrong with him. He's just—reverting. I was wondering when this would happen—I mean, I really was expecting it anyway", Draco shrugged.

"Expecting what?"

"This! The way he's acting now—that's how he was during those years you were back here in Greece, hiding from the past. You don't know how odd it is for Harry to be as cheerful as he was during the past few weeks. It was starting to scare me out, really. But I thought to myself, one of these days he just might be back to his old self again—and there you are", he said.

"What do you mean it's odd to see Harry so cheerful? He was always cheerful!"

"That was when you were still around! Argh. Honestly Izzy, you still don't get it do you? Or are you just trying to be dumb?"

"What—I don't understand!", Izzy said confusedly.

"The Harry you're seeing right now? That's the Harry I've known for the past 4 years. That's the Harry _you_ made him to be. That's what _you_ did to him.", Draco said with conviction. But Izzy just took it as a joke.

"Oh wow Draco! How touching! You're really concerned about your former archenemy!", she rolled her eyes.

"It's not funny, Izzy. If you've only seen him… you wouldn't be laughing right now", Draco said seriously and at last Izzy realized that he isn't in the mood for jokes.

Draco sighed and grabbed his wand, pointed it against his temple and got a wisp of memory from his brain.

With this gesture, Izzy knew right away that Draco wanted to show her something and so she holds out her hand, palm up and Draco lets the wisp of memory rest there. Like her mother, and all of the de Lune ancestors, Izzy has this 'looking into memories' gift—she doesn't need a pensieve to view a memory.

In an instant, Izzy's eyes become blank as she views the memory.

_Start of Draco's Memory…_

_It looked exactly like what Izzy saw a few seconds before seeing this memory. _

_Harry was standing at the back of the train, his eyes focused at nowhere, as thoughts flooded his mind. Without being explicitly told, Izzy knew just when this happened—it was on the train ride back home from sixth year—just a few days after Izzy left for Greece._

_So it really wasn't surprising that Harry was looking depressed and lost as of that moment. _

_Izzy looked behind her to see who else has been watching Harry. Of course, she found Draco there, and Ron and Hermione. They were whispering to one another. _

_Izzy moved closer to hear just what they were saying. _

"_Have you talked to him yet?", Draco asked Hermione. _

"_Well, I tried to… But he seems to be talking more to himself than to me", Hermione replied. _

"_What did he say?", Ron asked. _

"_Well, he was saying something about watching the view slipping out of his grasp. What were his exact words? Er--oh, yeah! He said, 'Hermione, why is it that even if I stand at the back of the train, the scenery still slips out of my grasp… like sand, or water… no matter how hard you try to hold on to it with both your hands, it will always find a way to escape you..'. Yeah, that's what he said"_

_Draco sighed. _

"_Do you know how long he will be like this?", Ron asked concernedly. _

"_Who knows? We don't even know if Izzy's ever coming back, so what makes you think he'll ever recover from this?", Draco said hotly. _

_End of Draco's Memory_

It was only when Izzy's eyes regained focus that she realized she had been crying while viewing the memory. She had heard it a lot of times from all her friends already—just how depressing, and miserable Harry's life was when she went away. Maybe she never took it seriously, or maybe she found it really hard to believe because she knew just how strong Harry is. But when she saw for herself just how life was for Harry when she was gone, she knew right away that her friends were not exaggerating.

Izzy wiped a tear with the back of her hand and followed that impulse that was telling her to run away. She excused herself from Draco and ran to the nearest train compartment that was empty for her to cry.

The rest of the group didn't see Harry and Izzy again until it was time for them to get down the Hogwarts Express' replica. When all of them had gone down the train, they were amazed with where it brought them to—a huge garden on the palace grounds' hill.

Draco's jaw dropped when he saw just how magnificent the small garden was.

"Oh if only my mother were here. She's flip out! This is probably the best garden I've been in all my life", he said.

"And it's not just any garden too. It's a butterfly pavilion—it houses more than thousands of species of butterflies, including the magical kind—the ones unknown to muggles.", Izzy explained.

Meanwhile, Amanda was hiding behind Everard, looking very afraid.

"Everard, shoo them away!", she whispered.

"Erm—sorry, you guys. Amanda—she's not too fond of flying creatures. It always freaks her out, that's exactly the reason why she never keeps owls.", Everard rolled his eyes but smiled lovingly at Amanda. This caused everyone else to raise their eyebrows.

"It seems to me that you know a little too much about each other", Draco said teasingly.

"Er—well you see, my father Everard III and Amanda's father, Aurelius de Lune—they've been good friends for several years now. And of course, her father is my mentor, so it was but natural for her to be always around my house. We practically grew up together, isn't that right, Mandy?", he asked her.

"Mandy?", everyone except Everard and Amanda exclaimed in surprise.

"Uhm yeah. We practically grew up together. Erm, can we get out of here now? The butterflies are creeping me out!", Amanda said, successfully changing the topic and finding an excuse to walk out of the awkward situation she had put herself into.

Draco chuckled cheerfully as Everard went after the 'walk out' queen. But his chuckling was cut short when Marius elbowed him around the ribs and pointed something out for him. At one corner of the butterfly pavilion were Harry and Izzy, standing in silence. Izzy was still acting strangely—she'd been like that after Draco had shown her his memory of Harry being very miserable without her. Obviously, she had been affected by what she saw.

Harry noticed the way Izzy had been acting, but then he tried to shrug it off his mind by thinking that maybe she just wasn't in the mood for a little excursion that day. To lighten the mood up, Harry had a brilliant idea.

Just as Izzy opened a butterfly cage, and had set butterflies free, Harry noticed that one of those butterflies didn't fly off like the others. It remained perched on top of Izzy's shoulder. Being reminded of that little note Harry found inside Izzy's little box of memories (the one with the lyrics of 'butterfly' by Mariah Carey), he smiled coyly and cooked up a plan.

Slowly, inch by inch, he went in front of Izzy and stood inches from her face. He looked at her eyes with deep longing, with a passion so intense that Izzy literally shivered.

"H—Harry, w—what?"

"Funny isn't it? How you've set this butterfly free?", Harry said these words without taking his eyes off Izzy.

"W—what do you—you! You read it—How?", Izzy panicked. But Harry kept on talking as if he wasn't hearing anything.

"But no matter how hard you set this butterfly free, he's still here isn't he? He's still strong enough to cling to you after all this time…", Harry added a smile.

"Uhm…"

"I guess that means he's truly yours, doesn't it? It means you're _truly meant to be_. So, I suggest, you keep him.", Harry said in a whisper.

"What?", Izzy asked with wide eyes.

"Here you go.", Harry said, picking up the butterfly on her shoulder really gently, grabbing her hand and placing the butterfly in it.

"Oh"

"Take care of your butterfly, okay? It's yours now", Harry said with a little wink, just before he walked away.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

Harry was disturbed from his deep sleep by a burning feeling on his chest. It was rather uncomfortable lying there in his bed at the Greco-royal family's summer palace. He was perspiring a lot, since he wasn't used to the kind of weather they had in Greece. It was a good thing he made that mental note to pack light summer clothes for this trip. But the warmth he was feeling now was different.

Harry felt his forehead as if to check if he had a fever. There were better ways of checking one's temperature in the wizarding world of course, but somehow, let's just say some muggle tendencies in Harry never changed. When he felt that his forehead was nothing but feverish, he clutched his chest to check on that burning feeling that woke him up. It was his key-shaped locket. And at the moment Harry's hand touched it, it started moving on its own.

His eyes widened like dinner plates when he realized that the locket seemed to have a life of its own—it was currently pulling him towards a certain direction—to something outside his room. Being creepily reminded of a certain Horcrux of Voldemort that caused problems for his best friend Ron, Harry immediately removed the chain that was responsible for keeping his locket near his chest. Not bothering to grab his wand, mainly because he was capable of wandless magic, Harry moved a hand over the glowing locket. He was checking the artifact for any sign of evil—a standard operation procedure for top-notch Aurors like him.

When he had used up every single diagnostic spell he ever learned from Kingsley and Dumbledore, and also Mr. Weasley, he looked at the locket curiously. Actually, for Harry it made sense that this locket wasn't evil—it was after all, a gift from his godfather, Sirius Black. And although it once belonged to the Ancient and Noble House of Black, and in particular to Sirius' brother Regulus Black, he was sure Sirius would never give him something he never checked for signs of evil.

Curious about where Regulus' locket was trying to lead him to, Harry didn't think twice about getting up and following its movement. Scratching his head, he clutched the locket that once belonged to someone who first discovered Voldemort's Horcruxes. All at once he had this feeling of having drank a vial of Felix Felicis potion—not that he was feeling really lucky but that he was feeling really sure of what he had to do. Harry didn't know the ins and outs of that summer palace, but the moment he took hold of Regulus' locket, it was like he knew where he needed to go. And sure enough, his feet brought him to that place.

His heart beat faster and faster as he turned to a corridor that was entirely new to him—they hadn't gone in that corridor during their little tour of the palace the day before. This struck Harry as really odd as Marius was definitely sure when he told them they'd gone to every corner of the palace. But what was even more surprising was the fact that at the end of the corridor was someone else—Izzy. Was the locket bringing Harry to Izzy?

"Wha—why?", Harry muttered quietly. But Izzy heard it nevertheless. She turned around to see where the voice she heard came from.

"H—Harry? What are you—?", Izzy need not ask. They were both clutching their lockets in their hands.

"I—It also burned under your touch and led you here, didn't it?", Harry asked and Izzy nodded.

"It's this wall.", Izzy turned back to the dead end of the corridor—which was a blank wall.

"That wall?", Harry asked confusedly.

"Yes, this wall. This has happened to me many times already. It's sort of a habit now, really. The locket brings me here almost every morning. And it reacts the most when I come near this wall, like it's telling me there's something behind that wall.", Izzy explained.

"Is there? I mean, what's behind that wall, do you know?", Harry asked.

Izzy shook her head.

"No. I'm afraid there's nothing there. It's just a wall. Nothing more", Izzy said.

"Did you check the blueprints?", Harry asked.

"Yes. But there's really nothing there.", she replied.

Harry approached the spot in front of the wall where Izzy was currently standing on. In an instant he felt just what Izzy had been describing—his locket trying to tell him something, trying to tell him that he was getting closer and closer to the place it was pointing to him. But the problem was, there's nothing there.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

A/N: I know, long long delay. I'm afraid it might be like this for a few months. I've got 3 major projects at work, all at the same time. Can you believe it? I'm only in my third month at work, and yet here I am, jumbling projects. Oh well, at least I get paid.


	19. A Flock of Friends and Family

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Now, I know you've been waiting. Let's read.

**Chapter 19: A Flock of Friends and Family**

There was no time whatsoever for Harry and Izzy to discuss that odd meeting they had the previous day. In fact, it would appear as if neither one of them even had time to think about it even once. It was a busy day, mainly because it was the day when Izzy's visitors—family and friends, would arrive in time for Izzy's engagement ball.

And so they spent the whole morning, Harry, Izzy, Marius, Draco, Everard, Amanda, and even Izzy's Uncle Aurelius, standing on the luxurious front porch of the summer palace, ushering the guests in. It was really a job for Gene—the butler, to do. But each of them had reasons to be standing on that spot that day.

Everard and Izzy had to be there of course, mainly because of the fact that the reason for the coming ball was their engagement. It was only proper for them to be meeting the visitors for they were their own family and friends. For Aurelius, on the other hand, it was his chance to shine, to meet all the important people that might be influential in setting up his niece's marriage to Everard. He had to make sure that his control over the Greek population of the Wizarding World is absolute. Needless to say, he also forced his daughter Amanda to be there, despite all her complaints about how her feet were hurting her.

Meanwhile, Draco and Marius were curious about what exactly Aurelius is trying to do, what he's up to and who he might have as his allies among the arriving visitors. And so they decided to show up, and observe. Harry told them he was going to observe as well. But he did nothing like that whatsoever, because the real reason why Harry was there is Izzy. And of course, Draco didn't miss out on that.

With every visitor that arrived, every "It's a pleasure to have you here Aunt Clarisse" or "Good morning Uncle Wilson, it's been a while since I last saw you!", Harry couldn't keep his eyes off the Greek princess. And those eyes couldn't stop narrowing themselves too, everytime Izzy clutched Everard's arm and introduced him to the guests as _her fiancée_, with a matching twinkle in her eye (that Harry thought he was just imagining) as if to spite him. But Harry wasn't imagining things, she was deliberately trying to make Harry jealous—see if he really wants to snag the _fiancée _title from Everard. Everard was just as willing to play the game with Izzy—seeing that Harry had his eyes narrowed like a vulture watching his prey closely. He knew it was just a matter of time before Harry finally presented himself as an alterative candidate to win Izzy's heart. Everard hoped to Merlin that this would happen—he didn't want to be stuck in the wizarding world forever, under the clutches of his father and Aurelius.

It became pretty clear to Harry that Izzy was intentionally being touchy with Everard when the older Everard Bellavich arrived. He looked much like his son, only he had white hair and a mustache on his face. He looked royal indeed—with the air of confidence you would expect from someone ruling a country like Croatia. But all of these seem to fade away when Aurelius greeted him. This caused Harry, Draco and Marius to raise their eyebrows.

_There's something really fishy about the senior Everard's reaction to Aurelius' greeting. It's as if he is frightened by his presence, _Draco shuddered for a moment as he associated Everard III's reaction to his own father's fear of the Dark Lord's presence. He glanced meaningfully at Marius, who seemed to have found this interesting as well, as he gave Draco a discreet nod.

"Everard my friend! It's good to see you after all these years. I told you we'll get there, eh! Now you see, your fine young lad is going to marry our dear Ysovielle. What did I tell you, mmm?", Aurelius told Izzy's soon-to-be father-in-law as he shook his hand.

"Er—yes yes, Aurelius. You know I have never once—uhm—doubted your judgment.", he replied awkwardly.

"Father! How was your trip? Went well, I do hope?", the son interrupted in his attempt to save his father.

"Ah, my son! Yes, yes, I had a pleasant trip as always. Oh, and this must be—", he started, once he spotted Izzy, clutching his son's arm.

"Ah yes, father. Iz, go ahead", Everard smiled encouragingly—a smile that was rather practiced, diplomatic, one you'd put in the Prophet. Harry grimaced.

_No fiancée of Izzy should smile at her like that. She deserves to be loved, not displayed you moron!_, Harry thought quietly.

"A pleasant day to you, your majesty, Ysovielle Monique Victoriae Aravielle de Lune, daughter to the Ancient and Noble Kingdom of the Greco-royal family, officially the princess but soon-to-be queen of Wizarding Greece, and your future daughter-in-law", Izzy smiled sweetly.

"It's a pleasure Ysovielle. Not because I finally get to meet you, not because you're the future queen of your country. It's simply a pleasure to have such a wonderful grown woman to be my daughter-in-law. Can I call you 'Izzy'?", he asked her.

"Of course, your majesty!", she replied.

"Don't be silly my dear, I suggest you start calling me 'father' for you have to start getting used to it, eh?", he said kindly.

Harry was confused. His auror-instincts are starting to kick in. Beside him, he felt Draco shift uncomfortably. As his partner of many years, he knew Draco was just as confused as he was. Everard and Aurelius were supposed to be shady figures—they were supposed to be up to some evil plan to conquer the Mediterranean part of the wizarding community. But it seems like there's more to the insider story they've gotten from their investigations. Maybe it was the way Everard looked fearful of Aurelius, or maybe it was the sincerity and kindness in his voice as he greeted Izzy. True, he could be just another good actor, but only time spent with him will tell. They'll be needing more time to observe both men's actions.

Harry was shaken away from his thoughts when Everard Bellavich III turned to them.

"Oh my dear dear Amanda, how I've missed you!", he told the blonde petite girl

"Uncle Everard! I've missed you too! It's been a while since I last visited you back in Croatia. It seems like it was just yesterday when you and father would talk over tea and Nick here and I would play all day under the sun in your huge labyrinth! How I miss those days!", she said all too sweetly.

"Nick?", Marius asked.

"Ah, of course, Marius Athanas—we have met before I believe. Of course, Nick is what our dear Amanda calls my son, Everard Nicholas is his full name you see. It can be a little confusing to call him Everard since we have the same name. You can call him Nick too if you find that it gets a little too confusing.", he explained.

They all nodded in understanding.

"And—oh, I see you have other guests here?", he asked, spotting Draco and Harry.

"Ah, yes your majesty, Draco Lucius Black Malfoy, descendant to both Ancient and Noble Houses of Black and Malfoy. Though I must admit, I am not too proud to be a Malfoy, nor to be a Black if it weren't for my uncles Sirius and Regulus. Call me Draco, sir.", Draco introduced himself with a sarcastic tone. (Appeals to women all the time, Harry recalls Draco telling him)

"And so I've heard", he smiled.

"And—oh dear", the older Everard Bellavich spotted Harry.

"Pleasant day, your highness. I am pleased to have finally met you. Auror Harry Potter, at your service.", Harry said rather humbly. He was never used to flaunting whatever he's known for. And besides, it would be too tiring for him to enumerate everything.

Draco snorted. "Oh come on! Give us the big ones! What kind of an introduction is that? Just this once, Potter", he cheered mischievously. Marius was trying not to laugh out loud, so he just sniggered discreetly behind Amanda.

"Oh but there is no need for any further introductions, don't you think? We all know who he is, anyway. What I am curious about is the reason why he is here. Were you sent for a mission, or did the de Lunes ask for your top-notch service?", the Croatian king asked.

"Ah, no sir. You see, Izzy here happens to be my best friend. Or at least I would like to think that she is one of my best friends. And so as you can see, I wouldn't miss her engagement for the world", Harry replied, Izzy thought he sounded a bit sarcastic.

"Is that really? I do hope you're not planning on taking over, mmm? It's just that I've read from interesting Greek newspapers that you proudly announced your plan of 'winning' Izzy back as soon as you arrived here. Is that even true? You all know that Mr. Potter here can very well be an outstanding candidate for our dear Ysovielle to marry. Once he presents himself as an alternative, my son here might have huge troubles, eh?", he said jokingly.

"Everard, my friend, don't give the children any stupid ideas. I am sure it was just one of the press's sales tactics.", Aurelius interrupted, waving his hand as if it was a very irrelevant thing ruining his morning.

"I'm not giving them ideas. I'm just saying, is all. Just making sure that no one as big a name as Mr. Potter tries to stop this wonderful engagement.", he replied.

"Oh Harry is just like that sometimes! He likes joking with the press, saying sarcastic remarks that they don't really get since they tend to take everything literally. But really, him wanting to take your son's place in the engagement? Of course not! He made it clear to me that he doesn't want to. He just likes to make things a little interesting, for _fun, _father!", Izzy' said with sarcasm, which made every head turn towards the direction of her voice.

_Father?, _they all thought silently.

Izzy smirked when she saw that her friends had their eyebrows raised. And she continued, "Harry wouldn't sabotage my engagement. And even if he did, I don't like him anyway. Not in the way I like Everard, mm?", she smiled sweetly at the man standing beside him, and briefly grimaced at a dumbfounded Harry.

Everard IV on the other hand, gulped audibly. True, his aim initially was to make Harry jealous so that he would win the girl in his arms back. But now all he feels is that certain lack of comfort, and a little fear. Who wouldn't feel that way when the very man who stuck a sword on Voldemort's chest was staring him down like a hawk?

"Father, I don't think there are more guests for us to greet, are there? If you don't mind, I'm going back to my room to have my beauty rest", Amanda said with her spoiled brat stance. She looked very much annoyed.

"Of course dear. I think we should all head back to the palace now. Now now, Everard, why don't we have a little chat in the parlor about the most recent developments of my—er—little project?", Aurelius turned to the older Everard, clearly hinting at something only the two of them understood.

Everyone who heard them grew suspicious, but no one said a thing. This was all too easily forgotten though when Izzy flirted with a very uncomfortable 'Nick' all the way back to the palace. Harry was too busy watching Izzy's every move that he hadn't had time to analyze what Aurelius just said.

Back at the summer palace, Draco, Harry and Marius went straight to Marius' quarters, where all their paraphernalia on the investigations were laid. The moment Harry closed the door with a bang, Draco collapsed on a chair and started laughing uncontrollably.

"What, you think it's funny?!", Harry said angrily, throwing a folder full of investigation files at him.

Marius smirked. "Harry, calm down, will you? Think things over and you will realize it on your own too", he said.

"Will realize what?"

"That it's hilarious! What you've been both doing—you and Izzy? It's stupid, and hilarious. But it fits the plan so, hey, I'm not complaining", he said, raising his hands as if in defeat.

"Aargh! She's just totally annoying! She did that—all of that just to annoy me!"

"And you—you didn't get that—until like—ages!!!!", Draco was finally able to tone down his laughter to sniggers.

"Never mind that now. What do you think of the older Everard? A bit of a mystery, right? And what about that little hint Aurelius dropped? Everard seemed really bothered after that remark.", Marius asked them seriously.

"Yeah, I couldn't quite pin down exactly what side he is on. He's supposed to be involved in some evil plot to conquer the Mediterranean isles according to our intelligence report but why does it seem like he's too afraid of Aurelius? He kind of reminded me of Dobby. Wonder whose side he really his on? We can't be too sure right now. Although Potter here seems to be convinced that he's such a peace-and-good-will loving person that he didn't even play the I'm-so-dignified-card to scare him off", Draco said.

"So what would you have preferred for me to say? Harry James Evans Potter, descendant to the Ancient and Noble household of the Potters and the Peverells, the boy-who-lived or the man-who-conquered by sticking Godric Gryffindor's sword inside Voldemort's so-called heart, Order of Merlin First Class, top-notch Auror and 5 time-awardee of Witch weekly's most eligible bachelor of the wizarding world. Don't I sound like Lockhart to you?", Harry said swiftly and with much sarcasm too.

Draco snorted.

"Ah, no no no, I think I sound more like you! Well the thing is, Malfoy, I am not you. I don't do intimidation. It's been what, a little less than 5 years? And you still don't know your partner that well? Maybe if it were you, you would try to scare people off with your status. But not me.", Harry retorted.

"Enough bickering. I get it. You're annoyed because of Izzy, don't take it out on us. And you, Draco, understand that it did us no wrong. Actually, if you're into drama and stuff like that, you can even say that it did us good. At least when we really present Harry in front of the parliament next week, we can enumerate—no—bombard them with all of the things Harry has done. Let's see what they have to say about that", Marius smirked.

"Didn't know you liked dramatic entrances", Harry shrugged.

"I don't. But the parliament members' wives do. Get my drift?", Marius asked.

Both men nodded.

"You can be humble now, Harry, but you can't have any of that next week. You have to be confident, a bad ass if you will. Try being Draco for once."

"Hey!", Draco protested, but was ignored.

"Remember, you're doing this to get her back. This is your second shot. Not sure if you're gonna get another one.", Marius reminded him.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

(A/N: for full visualization, try searching for images of thermal bath houses in Budapest. I saw them last summer during my Eastern European Tour, and I just fell in love with the combination of marble, European architecture and warm water!! It truly had a 'mediterranean' feel to it. So, I practically imagined Izzy and her friends having a swimming party in a similar bath house)

"Marius, would you stop dragging me?! And I thought _I _was the one who's more excited about this little swimming party? Merlin knows you're out of character here! I thought you didn't like swimming that much?" , Izzy asked Marius curiously, as they were literally sprinting down the marble staircases of the summer palace, headed in the direction of the palace's ornate bath house.

Marius didn't say anything. He just went on dragging Izzy (who was in her swimwear already, only with a wrap-around cloth acting as a skirt and hugging her waist) to their destination.

Oddly enough, Izzy thought she was hearing too many voices coming from the bath house. It felt like it was packed with people. But who were they expecting? Harry, Everard, Amanda, Draco—is there anyone else?

There was no time to think. As soon as she entered that structure made out of marble, everyone rushed to greet her. All her friends from Hogwarts were there! Looks like Marius, Draco and Harry (even if she didn't want to admit it), planned a little surprise to make her day.

Everyone except Ron and Hermione, who were still on their honeymoon, were there. Ginny, Dean, Blaise, Parvati, Seamus, Lavender, Neville, George and Charlie all ran towards Izzy and greeted her cheerfully. Although it's been just weeks since they last saw each other, Izzy really missed her friends already and was now looking forward to spending time with them. What better way to catch up with each other's lives by heating this swimming party up!

"Izzy! Wow you look gorgeous! That's an awfully cute bathing suit!", Lavender complimented her outfit for the day, which was a very sexy white string bikini, and a wrap-around serving as her skirt.

"Thanks, Lav! It means so much to me, having that compliment come from one of my really fashionable friends!", she said cheerfully!

"You know, you should really thank Draco and Harry, they made this thing happen. They kept on bugging us to be here during your engagement party. They keep on telling us that lots of interesting things will be happening. I wonder what though", Blaise said with a smirk. Izzy had a feeling Blaise knew exactly what Harry and Draco's plans were but he's keeping it a secret from her.

"Really, they said that huh? Where are those two anyway?", she asked.

"Over there!", Neville said, pointing at the other end of the bath house. Draco was busy flirting with two bikini-wearing girls, who, according to Parvati, happened to be their new recruits of a secretarial position at the Auror Headquarters. Harry on the other hand—well, let's just say Izzy didn't see where he was. But she was sure there was something moving in the water with very jet black hair. So she just assumed that's where Harry was.

"Oh so they're flirting with secretaries and drowning themselves. I can't ever think of better war heroes for the wizarding world. But just like you I am wondering what those two are planning. I have a feeling Marius is in the plan too.", Charlie rolled his eyes.

"Well, I don't know what they mean by 'interesting' things happening. But what I do know is, I will be engaged with a fine young man who I believe, you haven't met yet", Izzy said with a smile as she turned to Everard.

"Ev, honey, can you come here for a sec?", Izzy said so casually and haughtily that her friends raised their eyebrows. She also called him intentionally with a loud voice so that Harry would hear her calling from the other side of the bath house.

"His name is not Ev! It's Nick!!", Amanda said irritably. She was walking after her 'Nick'.

"Oh I'm sorry Amanda, but that's what I want to call my fiancée", Izzy retorted.

"_What did she say?", _Neville whispered.

"Everyone, this is Everard Bellavich IV, the prince of Croatia and soon, my fiancée, and in the near future, my husband", Izzy said with no hesitation.

Draco coughed audibly from where they were standing. Harry was just getting out of the water now.

Izzy continued, ignoring Draco and Harry. "And this feisty little lady here is my cousin Amanda. She happens to be my dear Ev's friend also", she said.

"Not just any friend, we've been best friends since we were little Iz! We practically grew up together!", Amanda said defensively, making Izzy smirk inwardly at this display of obvious jealousy.

"Okay, okay. No one's questioning the length of your friendship! True you have been friends for a long time now. But he's going to be my husband soon, Amanda. I can't have you running after my_ husband _all the time, can I?, she said.

"Oh so you're introducing him as your husband now, Iz? Isn't it a bit too early for that?", Harry's voice said. Everyone turned around to face him. He just got out of the pool, spilling water everywhere as his messy hair was still soaking wet. Like all the moments similar to this, Izzy can't help but stare at Harry's chest. She's beginning to think that it is her ultimate weakness. She's feeling a bit frail on her knees right now, just looking at the way droplets of water are trickling across those abs.

"Like what you see?", Harry asked.

"Wh—what? I wasn't staring! How dare you think I was staring!", Izzy said right away, with a tone that was a little too defensive—which she will now realize was a mistake.

"I was talking to Amanda, not you, Iz", Harry said, winking at Amanda, as if to signal to her to just follow his lead.

Amanda just giggled.

"Anyway, you guys!! I missed you all so much!", Harry turned to their friends. "I like you all to meet Amanda. I know Izzy sort of introduced her to you but well—she was rather unfair and biased, wasn't she? This is Amanda de Lune, Izzy's cousin. She's Aurelius de Lune's only daughter, and I must say she's one of the finest ladies I know", Harry smiled.

"Nice to meet you Amanda", each one of them said, shaking her hand.

"Yeah right, like you've known each other for a very long time now.", Izzy muttered very quietly, but Harry still caught her words.

"So guys, why don't we all start swimming, eh? The water's really nice! Cool and calming for a hot summer day in Greece! Amanda, come on! I know you'll look great in your swim wear. I've been waiting to see you in it this whole morning!", Harry said.

"The whole morning?", Everard repeated, with a hint of jealousy in his voice.

"Oh Ev, _honey_, just ignore them, won't you? You know what, I really need my tanning lotion on my back. Can you help me with it?", Izzy said sweetly, catching Harry's frustrated expression from the corner of her eye.

Izzy lay face down as Everard put tanning lotion on her back. Meanwhile, Harry and Amanda were watching the couple with narrowed eyes. The two couples, busy with playing this game of making one another jealous, didn't even notice their friends watching them curiously.

As if things couldn't get more exciting and more pressure-filled, Izzy had a brilliant idea (or so she thought).

"You know what, Ev, that will give me an uneven skin tone. If I have to get a tan, it must be spread evenly, no tan lines please! And I know just the trick!", she said. Still lying face down, she reached the string of her bikini top at her back, and slowly pulled them. Everyone's eyes widened as Izzy's untied her bikini top, for Everard to put tanning lotion at her back. It was a daring move, though still a bit safe, and not revealing too much. But for someone like Izzy, it was a move that was too daring. And her friends, knowing her too well, all knew that there was something fishy going on.

Just as the bath house was suddenly filled with tension, Harry decided to walk out of it. He didn't say a word, didn't even spare a second to take a look at Izzy enjoying herself. He just walked out of the bath house as if nothing happened.

"What was that about?", Ginny whispered.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

**A/N: **I know, I know. That chapter took me too long. But I have a surprise. I'm prepared now. This took me too long because I'm making the chapters one at a time. That is, I post one without even having the next chapter formulated. It's a little tough having to write fiction wherein people have read the start and you still don't know how to end it. Cause along the way when you wanna change something, you realize you can't because all of you have read those previous chapters already.

The engagement ball/Izzy's birthday celebration is really really coming soon!! That's why everyone's coming to Greece already, in preparation for the ceremonies. I have yet to make things clear about Izzy's father, that locket-hallway mystery, and of course the answer to the auror's investigation regarding Aurelius. There's also a huge thing coming up that might really shake the engagement party! It involves a rather disturbing revelation, someone missing, and a threatening note.

And now.. I wanna give you a little game! The next chapter will be about Izzy's father. He's finally coming into the story. And I don't know if you've picked up hints about who her father is but I've really really made an effort to throw a lot of clues along the way.. even in my first fic (Pretending to be Harry's Girlfriend) there were already lots of clues about his identity. So I want you first to guess who he is.. :D

See Pretending to be Harry's girlfriend Chapters 19, 34 and Pretending to Forget you Chapters 10, 12 & 18. It's guessing time! :D


	20. When The Waltz Ends

Disclaimer: My name is not JK Rowling. So I own nothing.

**Chapter 20: When the Waltz Ends**

"One, two, three…one, two, three… one, two, three, a—nd turn! One, two, three…one, two, three…"

"You know, Draco…"

_One, two three…one, two, three…_

"When you asked us all to be here in Greece, I was under the impression that we were merely supportive guests of Izzy", Blaise said in between turns.

"Ouch! Blaise, would you focus more on dancing rather than on whispering at Draco!", Parvati complained at her dancing partner.

"Er—sorry, dear.", he apologized.

"Well, think of it this way. Izzy needs her cotillion (research the term) for tomorrow evening's ball. I wouldn't want to bask in the glory of dancing alone tomorrow night! So I gladly called you all so you'd share the spotlight with me! Am I kind or what?", Draco said with a mischievous glint in his eye.

And so they were all there—Izzy and Everard's friends and relatives, following their dance instructor, and waltzing their time away.

They have been there for several hours now, listening to waltz music that was beginning to play in their heads over and over again, and to the sounds of _'one, two, three…one, two, three… turn!"._ It was becoming a daytime nightmare—if there was such a thing. Draco can only imagine the look on Ron's face if he were there. Lucky for the red-headed bloke, he was still on his honeymoon with his wife, Hermione.

Meanwhile, Harry was too preoccupied with a lot of thinking that he hadn't had much time to complain. He just settled with dancing with Amanda (his partner for the ball) that whole morning, in total silence. He didn't look it, but he was starting to bore her partner, who is so used to people adoring her too much. She wasn't liking the way Harry was ignoring her.

Izzy didn't fail to notice this, of course. During the first hour of all this dancing, she was still attempting to play the game of jealousy with Harry—being all touchy and flirty with Everard. But then soon enough she realized that for Harry, the game had ended yesterday when he walked out of the bath house, after Izzy's daring display. It shamed her to think about it too much but maybe, just maybe, she took it a bit too far.

"_Crap. Now Harry's never gonna talk to me again. So much for trying to make him jealous. Wait! He's the one who started it, right?", _Izzy thought defensively.

But then another voice inside her head started talking—the voice of reason.

"_But you had to take it too far, hadn't you? Now do you really expect he'll still try and fight to win you back? By the looks of it… it doesn't seem like he's still interested.", _Izzy was horrified at her own realizations.

"Izzy, are you alright?", Everard asked her.

"What? Oh—yeah. I'm fine. Just a little exhausted, I guess.", she replied casually.

"Do you need a break? I can tell them to let us have a minute of rest, if you wish to.", he suggested, tilting his head towards the dance instructors they hired for that morning.

"Nah, let's just get this thing over with. It's better that way", she replied.

"_Maybe things were really meant to remain this way. I know we were starting to gain our friendship back, especially right before Ron and Hermione's wedding. But if we did get involved again, it would be harder for both of us to do our jobs! It would be harder for me to take my place as this country's ruler, because then I have to choose between Greece and Harry.", _she tried rationalizing inside her head.

She took a peek at how Harry was currently doing. He had this distant look in his eyes—which meant he was deep in thought. Izzy shook her head.

"_Alright, the game ends here. I'm just gonna have to focus on the welfare of my country.", _the voice of reason rang in her mind.

"_It's better this way", _she whispered so softly that no one could hear her. Not even Everard.

"Uhm—Izzy? The dancing's over. Are you sure you're alright?", Everard asked her while looking at her curiously. They were still in the middle of the now empty ballroom, dancing. Apparently, he was right. The waltz music had died, and most couples had left the room already. She had been too preoccupied with her thoughts that she didn't even notice this.

"Uhm—yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry Everard. I'm just tired—you know, with all the preparations… like all this dancing and dinners", she hastily found an excuse.

"Yeah, I thought you might be tired. Anyone put in your—our situation would be. Let me walk you to your room, so you can take some rest now, okay?", Everard asked her.

Izzy was about to reply when they found Harry and Amanda just outside the door. Harry looked disinterested—like the moment was boring him to death, while Amanda looked like she had been spying from outside the door all this time. She jerked all so suddenly towards Everard's direction and demanded in her spoiled-brat voice, "Nick. Everard Nicholas, a word with you. In private."

Without waiting for an answer she grabbed Everard by the wrist and dragged her away from the ballroom's doorway where they all stood. This left Harry and Izzy on that doorway, by themselves—which practically led to a very awkward silence.

Izzy was the first to break the silence.

"Uhm—Harry? Can I—", she started.

"Oh would you look at the time!", Harry abruptly interrupted Izzy, by looking at his wristwatch.

Izzy was taken aback by Harry's remark.

"I still have a lot of things to do. I was starting to forget the real reason I'm here. I'm on a mission, not a holiday. I better start working if we want to make some progress in our investigation. So if you'll excuse me, your highness, I really need to do some paperwork.", he continued, in a very formal fashion.

He had begun walking away from Izzy, when she held him back.

"No I won't.", she said firmly.

"Sorry, I didn't catch that.", Harry looked back at her.

"I said I won't. Not just yet, at the very least.", she mumbled.

"You won't—what?", Harry was confused.

"I won't let you be excused just yet, Mr. Potter.", she said it like an order from a queen. Harry looked at her fiercely, but then he decided to hear what she had to say.

"Can we talk for a while?", she finally asked him with a concerned look on her face and a very heavy sigh.

"Isn't that what we're doing right now?", he remarked sarcastically.

"I meant _about us_. Can we talk about our situation? You? Me? Both of us? Can we talk about all of this?"

"What is there to talk about? I was under the impression that those matters can't be clearer than they are now. You are getting engaged to no less than the Prince of Croatia tomorrow night, and a year from now or maybe a month from now—who knows, you'll be husband and wife—king and queen. And I—I am here for my auror mission to investigate on the De Lune-Bellavich case. Living here in your palace has been very convenient for my investigation but I understand that proper decorum calls for my departure after your engagement tomorrow night. I will be leaving by my own accord, so you don't need to worry about sending me away.", he said firmly.

"You—you're leaving?", Izzy was genuinely shocked.

"Izzy, I am part of your past. I shouldn't be living in the same roof as you and your fiancée. It's not nice to look at—especially for royals like yourselves. The prestige of the De Lune royal family is something I do not wish to destroy."

"But you aren't destroying anything! You're my guest!"

"No. I invited myself over, didn't I? You didn't want to have anything to do with me anymore—that's why you pretended to forget me. How foolish of me to take all that for granted. Pardon me, I am not usually like this. I am an auror and this is what I am good at. I know a lost case when I see one. I tried stopping this engagement by interfering with it, by winning you back somehow. But now I know I must handle this like any other auror. Don't worry, Iz—y—your highness, I will try my best to stop this engagement by proving your uncle and the Everards guilty. Alright? That at least I can promise you. To do that, I really need to get those papers done, and to start packing for my departure tomorrow.", Harry said with a tone of finality before walking away from the girl he dearly loved.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

"He told her WHAT?", Ginny asked Marius unbelievingly.

"That he knew a lost case when he saw one. He's leaving tomorrow night after the engagement ball—without a fight", Marius said with a sigh.

"Are you sure he said that? Does this mean he's reverting to his old workaholic, anti-social self?", Ginny was frustrated.

"Oh dear, if that's the case this isn't a good sign. Harry's given up", she concluded.

To this conclusion, Marius raised his eyebrows. "Come on! That's not the Harry we know! He could never give Izzy up that easily! Let alone for such a shallow reason—for what? For petty game of jealousy? He values her so much more than that! He would never give her up for sheer stupidity, even for his own pride. True Gryffindors are supposed to be too courageous for their own good, right?"

"Hey! And what's wrong with being courageous? That's the mark of a real Gryffindor. And if anyone can be likened to old Godric himself—it's got to be Harry!", Ginny said somewhat defensively.

"Hey… how about a noble reason? A noble reason! That's got to be it!", Marius remarked looking like he hit the jackpot.

"_That_ sounds more like Harry. But what noble reason?", Marius asked.

Ginny looked deeply immersed in her thoughts for a while until she noticed a bundle of newspapers beside her, and then her eyes widened like dinner plates.

"This!", she said, picking up the said paper.

"The evening edition of the Greek Tribune?", Marius questioned thoughtfully.

"MONARCHY OR NO MONARCHY?—that's the headline. Hmmm.. let me see", Ginny said while scanning the news article.

"It questions Aurelius' vision of the future Greece. Oh, and it's rather detailed! T'was written by someone named…Veritas? This has to be an alias. I'm guessing whoever wrote this had a pretty reliable source.", Ginny said.

"You're a pretty good guesser! How come you're a healer, not an auror?", Marius asked and to which Ginny replied with a shrug.

"Anyway, this is must have been it. Apparently Aurelius has been making moves to unite the different wizarding communities across the Mediterranean isles. It also highlights his obsession with the monarchy—in his past speeches carefully documented by the author, he speaks of the monarchy with such passion.", Ginny said, still scanning the paper.

"Ah, just as I thought! From the beginning Aurelius has been too proud of his birth right, of his status as a royal. He's really big on the concept of the Divine Rights of Kings—that the royal family serves as an anchor of supernatural beings in the mortal world… something to that extent. We have reason to believe that he wants to bring back the role and prestige of the Monarchy in Mediterranean politics.", Marius said, putting the pieces of the puzzle together.

"He's crazy. He should've lived during the medieval ages.", Ginny shook her head.

"I believe you're right. This is it. This is the reason why Harry's backing out all of a sudden. He can't possibly put himself first if he knew Aurelius' plans. He really is a true Gryffindor", said Marius.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

It had been a pretty quiet dinner. There were a lot of people gathered around the table, but all of them were busy whispering and observing Izzy's behavior, and Harry's empty seat. By now, most of the guests close to both Izzy and Harry knew of Harry's departure tomorrow night, after the engagement ball. Each and everyone present tried to talk him out of leaving, but to no avail. It was unfortunate for them that Ron and Hermione were still on their honeymoon. If anyone had a shot in talking some sense into Harry it would be them for sure. To make matters worse, Draco was nowhere to be found. Accordng to Marius, he had to do some investigations pertaining to the Bellavich-De Lune case.

Needless to say Harry purposely and successfully missed dinner to avoid Izzy and all the questions he was sure to be asked, making 'last minute packing' his excuse for the night. This created far too much tension in the room for the guests to have a cheery conversation, even if it was the eve of Izzy's birthday.

They had just finished eating dessert when a ball of fire appeared a few feet above Izzy's shoulder. Most of the guests were shocked—not too many people are used to communicating with someone who had a phoenix for a pet. As for the rest, they were merely curious.

When the bright orange phoenix appeared, everyone gasped. The others were merely astonished at seeing a phoenix for the first time in their entire lives. But for Izzy, Marius, and also Neville and Ginny, this was no ordinary phoenix. It was Fawkes! The very phoenix their deceased headmaster owned.

"Fawkes?", they all said.

"Has he changed ownership already?"

"But that's impossible! Phoenixes are extremely loyal pets… so much so that they find it hard to change masters even long after their old master is gone. And with a very noble and powerful master Fawkes used to have, changing masters might be a little impossible for him.", Marius the DADA professor, started one of his lectures again, in his old teaching voice.

"Uh huh. Marius is right. And besides, phoenixes are supposedly passed on to someone close to its old master, usually a relative. If he had changed masters, we _would_ know.", Neville said surprisingly with a lot of confidence.

"Aberforth, his brother, is still alive, isn't he? He might be its new owner", Parvati suggested.

"Yeah, but he and Professor Dumbledore didn't actually end up in good terms, did they? They're not exactly what one would call _close._", Ginny argued.

Izzy who had been silent for the whole night, finally spoke up.

"Well, why don't we find out? It seems that Fawkes has brought me a letter.", she said, detaching the letter from Fawkes' beak and giving him a soft pat on the head. She then turned to the envelope that was in her left hand, it was addressed to her… "Ysovielle", it said on the front. Turning it around just to open it, her eyes widened with comprehension upon seeing the wax seal.

"It can't be—it's… it's..", Izzy faltered for a few seconds. She swallowed audibly, shook her head and suddenly had a look of determination in her face, even the tone of her voice suddenly changed.

"Fawkes hasn't changed owners. He's simply doing some leftover tasks given to him by his previous owner. This is an old letter left in his possession by someone who's already dead. I guess I'm supposed to receive it at the eve of my birthday. Now, if you'll excuse me. I have more important things to attend to.", she excused herself (with Fawkes following her) so suddenly that there was no time for anyone present to argue.

As Izzy rushed away from the dining hall, everyone turned to Marius who had been standing behind her, and was able to take a look at the mysterious letter.

"Well? What was that about?", Ginny asked.

"It's the de Lune royal family seal. The letter's probably from her mother—when she was still alive, that is.", he replied.

"Her mother? Well, most families have that sort of thing, especially in cases like this. Being in a royal family is a huge responsibility especially when you turn 21. My father gave me that lecture on ruling a country—that sort of thing. It's probably the same thing, only in letter form", Everard suggested.

"B—but her mother's no longer around, right?", Dean asked.

"Well, sometimes other parents put what they have to say in writing and set a later date to send the letter. It's not the first time I've heard of such a thing.", Neville said.

"That is probably the case. You see, Esmeralda de Lune was a gifted seer.", said Marius

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

"Izzy? Can I come in now? It's been almost three hours. Can we talk?", Marius asked through the door to Izzy's room in between knocks.

He heard the lock of the door click. And then the door opened on its own. It was Izzy's habit to just wave her hand to open doors from afar. Marius entered her room, and saw that she was seated in front of the fireplace. He's guessing she had been staring at it for three hours now.

Marius followed Izzy immediately after what happened during dinner. But it was just now, almost midnight, that she's ready to talk to someone.

"_The letter must have really affected her that much", _Marius thought in silence.

"Izzy? Do you want to talk about it?", he asked.

"Why, Marius? Why does she have to be too noble even at a time like this?", Izzy asked with pain in her voice.

Marius, not knowing exactly what she was talking about, kept quiet. He knew she wasn't really waiting for an answer, she just wanted to talk. And so he let her.

"She knew. She knew everything that was about to happen, Marius. She knew as early as those days we had been training secretly in London! And that was what? About 5 years ago! And she knew what was going to happen at my engagement!", Izzy said softly, with tears now rolling down her cheeks.

"She knew about Aurelius?", he asked her.

Izzy nodded, and handed him the letter she received earlier that evening. Marius saw that it had teardrop marks on it. Obviously, Izzy had been crying as she reread the letter all evening. Curious about what Emmy de Lune had to say to her daughter, Marius started reading:

"_My dearest Izzy, _

_If you're reading this, I am guessing that I am no longer there with you to witness the eve of your 21__st__ birthday, and also your engagement. Today, I had this vision of the future, of things that are about to come. It breaks my heart to see what is yet to happen and know that things will not be as easy for you as I would want it to be. But this is a gift I was born with and am happy to see that I have not passed on to you. It can be unbearable at times—knowing things that are just about to happen but having no choice but to be strong. Even if I wanted to be fearful or anxious, I cannot afford to, for your sake. I know I must handle this with as much responsibility and rationality as I can, but alas, I am not a perfect woman and I am bound to have my own weaknesses. If I had been stronger, perhaps I might have been able to tell you these things personally. But when I watch you soundly sleeping at night, tired after a long day's worth of training with Marius, I just know in my heart that I cannot take the tiniest speck of peace that's still with you at the end of the day. _

_Today is the eve of your 21__st__ birthday. I plan on entrusting this letter to Uncle Albus so that when the time comes, his pet phoenix can give it to you. I know that life is not too kind to you right now. Beware of Aurelius, my child, he is on a mission to take away the throne from you. I do not know what plans he has in store for you, but I do know he will do whatever it takes to gain control, not only of Greece but the whole Mediterranean chapter of the wizarding community. Ever since the death of our dear Ilana, Amanda became next-in-line. So if ever you decide to relinquish your crown, the person to take your place will no longer be Ilana, but Amanda. _

_My child, tomorrow, you will be engaged. It saddens me that I am not there to see it, and to be able to celebrate with you. But this I know for sure. Someone else will come—a worthier person, someone who will love and cherish you for the rest of your life, and more importantly, for the person who you really are, and not just your title or bloodline. You might have to choose between him and Greece, but my only advice is this: follow your heart. It may sound overused, but once you do, the rest will take their rightful places. I wish with all my heart that I could be there to hold your hand, and give you a hug, but right now, the most I can do is let you know of what's coming, and let you know how much I have always, and will always love you, my only daughter._

_Never forget my Ysovielle, __Ti koinotaton? Elpis. Kai gar hois allo mēden, autē parestē._

_Love, _

_your mother"_

"I just don't understand why she had to write all these things down. Mother doesn't know how hard it is to pick between Harry and Greece. I bet she had never gone through a dilemma like this. And then she sends me this kind of letter? Doesn't she know how hard it is for me to lose her? It would have been nice, receiving a comforting letter from her tonight instead of some freakish letter warning me about the future. Sometimes, I really do wish Ilana were still alive. She would know the right things to say—she always does. And I wouldn't be in trouble right now trying to save Greece's neck with this engagement. I could just relinquish the crown. Ilana's supposed to be the one next in line, if she hadn't passed away. On her own engagement ball, for Merlin's sake! I miss her. She's like a big sister to me. I miss them both, mother and Ilana. They were my only family left.", Izzy sobbed.

Marius didn't say anything. He just pulled Izzy in a tight embrace, and let her sob her frustration out on his shoulder as his own eyes welled up with fresh hot tears.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

**A/N: **I know it's been soooooooo long. But when I reached the point when it has been over a year since the last update, I decided that my next update shouldn't be followed with such a lengthy pause. So I told myself, once I start updating again, there's no turning back. And can I just say that is such a crazy idea. Because now so much is going in my head, tons of ideas regarding what kind of a good unpredictable twist/s I will be adding to this story. Hang on for those. It's gonna be exciting!


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